the principal's annual report 2013 2014 · 2016. 8. 4. · the enhancement of the physical...
TRANSCRIPT
THE PRINCIPAL'S
ANNUAL REPORT
2013 – 2014
Dr. David Sylvester
Principal
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... 2
THE KING’S MISSION ..................................................................................................................................... 5
THE KING’S VISION ........................................................................................................................................ 5
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 5
SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013-14 ......................................................................................................... 6
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING ............................................................................................................................ 9
Instructor Evaluation Chart for the Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence ..................................... 11
2013-2014 Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence ............................................................................ 11
Quality Indicators of Teaching ................................................................................................................ 14
Teaching and Course Coverage ............................................................................................................... 14
A Culture Of Scholarship ......................................................................................................................... 16
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS.................................................................................................... 25
Student-Enrolment and Admissions Standards ...................................................................................... 32
CAMPUS MINISTRY AT KING’S .................................................................................................................... 35
A VIBRANT ACADEMIC, CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MILIEU ....................................................................... 46
Religious Life Lecture Series .................................................................................................................... 46
The Centre for Studies in Creativity ........................................................................................................ 49
The Centre for Jewish-Catholic-Muslim Learning ................................................................................... 50
The Centre for Social Concern ................................................................................................................ 52
PARTNERSHIPS IN LEARNING ...................................................................................................................... 54
INTERNATIONALIZATION ............................................................................................................................ 56
THE KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL ............................................................................ 63
A CULTURE OF SERVICE ............................................................................................................................... 64
THE ACADEMIC HEART OF KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE: THE G. EMMETT CARDINAL CARTER LIBRARY 74
HUMAN RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 86
FOUNDATION AND ALUMNI ....................................................................................................................... 88
Alumni Affairs.......................................................................................................................................... 88
ENHANCING THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT: PHYSICAL PLANT .................................................................. 92
ADMINISTRATION AND RECEPTION ........................................................................................................ 92
SECURITY AND SAFETY ............................................................................................................................ 92
HOUSEHOLD SERVICES AND GROUNDSKEEPING .................................................................................... 95
MAJOR PROJECTS .................................................................................................................................... 99
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES ..................................................................................................... 99
THE FINANCIAL PICTURE ........................................................................................................................... 108
Dedicated to our colleagues and friends from whom we learned much.
Dr. Hugh Mellon
Professor
1955-2014
Catherine Turner
Professional Administrative Officer
1959-2014
THE KING’S MISSION King's is a Catholic university college committed to the
ongoing creation of a vital academic community
animated by a Christian love of learning and the pursuit
of truth. The College strives to foster an environment
based on open enquiry, Christian values and service to
the larger community.
THE KING’S VISION King's vision is to be the premier Catholic university,
and the best undergraduate institution of higher learning
in the Canada.
INTRODUCTION
Though primarily an accountability document, and
therefore never short on detail, the Principal’s Report is
intended to demonstrate and celebrate how the entire
King’s community seeks excellence in all things, and
that what sets us apart is our foundational commitment to the people who live and learn in this community.
The guiding goals of the Principal’s Report arise from
our continuing strategic plan, Vision, Values and
Learning: A Strategic Plan for King’s University
College, 2010−2014. As you read this Report, please
keep in mind the primary aspirations of the King’s
community articulated in this document, namely:
1. To establish a community of engaged scholars
actively pursuing the acquisition, creation and
dissemination of knowledge;
2. To articulate, realize and celebrate the Catholic
vision in all dimensions of College life;
3. To enhance the spirit of community within the
College;
4. To develop the College’s regional, national and
global profile;
5. To consolidate and augment the legal,
organizational and financial position of the
College;
6. To create an environmentally sustainable
College.
The detailed information provided in
this report is assembled from the
individual reports presented by the
Senior Administrators of King’s and
the Manager of Communications and
Media Relations. I am grateful for
their ongoing leadership at King’s and
their contribution to this report which
reflects the work of our entire
community.
Jane Antoniak, Manager of Communications & Media Relations
Rev. Michael Bechard, Chaplain &
Director of Campus Ministry
Claire Callaghan, Chief Librarian
Dr. Sauro Camiletti, Academic Dean
Veronika Elsie, Director of Human Resources
Tom Jory, Director of Information Technology Services
Erin Lawson, Executive Director of Alumni Affairs & Foundation
Jeff Major, Chief Financial Officer
Marilyn Mason, Registrar
Michael Tattersall, Director of Physical Plant
Mary Carol Watters, Dean of Students
OVERVIEW: The 2013-14 academic year at King’s was marked by:
Continued implementation of the Academic Review, including faculty hiring for replacement and
additions to complement;
Expanded academic and exchange partnerships, both international & with Catholic institutions;
Implementation of the Administrative Review;
Opening of the new Darryl J. King Student Life Centre;
The completion of civil and canonical incorporation of King’s;
The final year in the current multi-year strategic plan, Visions, Values & Learning, 2010-2014.
SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2013-14
1. Fostering research, teaching and publishing:
King’s students rated the faculty’s teaching as superior. In every department/school, across every
year of study, teaching evaluation scores reached a median of 6.0 on a seven-point scale. King’s
University College stands second to no other institution of higher learning in Canada in the
quality of its teaching staff.
The faculty collectively authored/co-authored 6 books, 75 refereed journal articles/book chapters,
co-edited 2 books, presented 95 refereed conference papers, and submitted 85 manuscripts for
publication.
The College awarded $137,652 in internal research grants to 45 faculty to support their ongoing
research activities.
The College allocated $148,939 in travel support to 58 members of faculty who presented 95
refereed papers.
Two Insight Development Grants were awarded to King’s faculty, totaling $122,775 in funding.
Four other faculty members were recommended for SSHRC grants but were not supported due to
a lack of funds.
The number of full-time faculty has increased from 73 in 2005-06 to 100 in 2013-14.
2. Celebrating the Catholic vision of King’s;
Campus Ministry continued to develop its programming confirming the claim that it stands as the
model for Catholic campus ministry in Canada. The highly-acclaimed Religious Life Lecture
Series continued to flourish, attracting 150-250 attendees for each of its numerous lectures.
The circle of partnerships forged by the Office of the Registrar with Catholic School Boards in
the province now includes all Catholic School Boards in Ontario as well as the Catholic
Educational Organizations for Principals, Trustees, Curriculum Leaders, and Supervisory
Officers.
3. Enhancing the spirit of community at King’s;
The enhancement of the physical plant, community space, and academic facilities continued to
keep the facilities updated and provide students and faculty the opportunity to engage in a living-
learning community.
o The Foundation’s Student Life Campaign – At the Centre of It All progressed very well
with over 91% of our campaign goal of $10.5 million raised as of April 30, 2014 which
will go towards the Student Life Centre project and new student awards/bursaries.
Campus Ministry, the established Centers for Catholic-Jewish Learning, Creativity and Social
Concern, the new Centre for the Advanced Research in European Philosophy, the School of
Social Work, King’s University College Student Council, and student clubs (History, Political
Science) offered lecture series, special events, workshops, and conferences that enhanced both the
academic and spiritual mission of the College, and reached out to the wider community.
The range of academic counseling services, and student services (personal counseling,
disabilities, career, residence) continued to be well-used and highly valuable to our students.
The annual King’s Fall Fair took place in September 2013 at Kusterman’s Berry Farm. Over 200
College employees, board members and their families came together for a day of fun activities
and community building.
4. Developing the College’s regional, national and global profile;
The Principal and members of administration and faculty regularly appeared in the press, on
national television, speaking to King’s role in post-secondary education in Canada.
The internationalization program at King’s continued to flourish and expand. The College is a
leader in promoting internationalization both in London and on the national scene. In 2013-14
the international student population included 390 (visa) degree students, 38 exchange students
and 82 2+2 degree students. Additionally, 20 King’s domestic students engaged in outgoing
exchange programs to a total of 15 different countries. 157 students in total took part in outgoing
exchange programs.
5. To consolidate and augment the legal, organizational and financial position of the College;
The Administrative Organization Review process was completed in 2014 and recommendations
from the King’s Working Group were recommended by College Council and approved by the
Board of Directors in April. Implementation of the recommendations will be completed over the
2014-15 year.
King’s was officially incorporated on January 1, 2014.
Human Resources, under the leadership of Director Veronika Elsie continued to ensure
institutional compliance and institutional best practices and training in light of changing
provincial guidelines.
The Finance Office of the College, under the leadership of CFO Jeff Major, continued to provide
superior leadership for King’s.
Board renewal has continued with the appointment of dynamic community and College
representatives with the Chair, Ms. Lynne Cram, and Vice-Chair, His Worship Mayor Dan
Mathieson (Stratford).
6. To create an environmentally sustainable College.
The Darryl J. King Student Life Centre is expected to achieve the LEED Silver status. It is
complete with high-efficiency HVAC systems, a green roof and an educational instalment to
highlight the green materials and practices that were used in construction of the building.
The solar panels installed on the roof of Labatt Hall continue to offset a considerable amount of
CO2 and generate, on average, over 22,000kwh per year with over $20,000 in annual revenue.
The Environmental and Sustainability Committee was approved by College Council. The
mandate of the Committee is to regularly review practices on campus to ensure that the College is
meeting a high environmental standard. Faculty, staff, students and administration are all
represented on the committee.
The King’s Green team remains a very active group on campus. Examples of the activities they
have organized include:
o Campus Green-ups
o Plant sales
o Tree-planting initiatives
o Battery recycling days
For the third year, a graduate intern was employed to monitor, investigate and promote
opportunities across the campus for environmental projects and initiatives.
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING
The number of our full time faculty making the Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence
(DHR) remains within the range of the last five years although that number is lower than it was
last year. Of greater concern is the DHR list for part time instruction. This past year’s ratings are
the lowest in memory. While it may still be the case that the vast majority of our part time faculty
are very good teachers, this change from past years is a signal that more attention should be paid
to the SET (teaching evaluations) of part-time faculty. EPC will be alerted accordingly.
Many of our young full time faculty (those hired after June 30, 2009) continue to shine as
excellent teachers. These include:
Dr. Grigori Erenburg (Economics-EBM)
Professor Shawna Weingartner (Accounting-EBM)
Professor Ruth Ann Strickland (LTA) (Accounting-EBM)
Dr. Allyson Larkin (Social Justice & Peace Studies-DIPS)
Dr. Graham Broad (History)
Professor Carrie Arnold (LTA) (Thanatology/Psychology-DIPS)
Dr. Coby Joshua Dowdell (English-Modern Languages)
Dr. Krista Lysack (English-Modern Languages)
Dr. Mark Yenson (Religious Studies-PRS)
Dr. Thomas Tieku (Political Science)
Dr. Cathy Chovaz (Psychology)
Professor Linda Hutchinson (LTA) (Psychology)
Dr. Marcie Penner-Wilger (Psychology)
Dr. Tara Bruno (Sociology)
Dr. Anisha Datta (Sociology)
Professor Jennifer Reynolds (LTA) (Sociology)
Dr. Tracy Smith-Carrier (Social Work)
Dr. Andrew Mantulak (Social Work)
LTA’s are well represented in this group and continue to make a significant contribution. This
group is complemented by a strong contingent of senior faculty who are regulars on the list and
continue to be passionate about their discipline.
2013 Recipient of the King’s University College Award for Excellence in Teaching (Full-time Faculty)
Dr. Alison Meek, Department of History
Dean Camiletti’s Citation
Dr. Alison Meek, Associate Professor of History, joined the faculty at King’s in 2001 and has been on
the Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence every year since her arrival.
Her teaching philosophy is simple. Her approach to teaching history is to make history come alive, to
make history and a history degree relevant, to ensure students are accepted as participants in the
classroom, and to set forth clear expectations for both students and herself.
Indeed, she carries out each of these objectives in a broad range of American history courses at all
levels with consummate skill and unbridled enthusiasm. She sweeps the students away on a historical
journey transporting them in time and space in an environment characterized by spirited debate,
complete engagement, and total immersion in classes with standing room only. The students are at
once entertained and mesmerized - hardly aware that they have consumed vast amounts of
information that reflects the current state of the discipline. She attends to the organization of her
teaching materials and the grading of papers, tests and exams with impeccable precision and
efficiency.
Her students describe her as the best professor they have ever had, as passionate, energetic,
stimulating, highly organized and motivating. She has helped hundreds of students outside the
classroom, written countless letters of reference and received testimonials of the highest order from
students that she has shepherded into graduate programs at prestigious universities.
One of her former Department Chairs described her first year teaching evaluations as “leaving all of
us choking in the dust”. I am happy to report that she has only improved with time.
2013 Recipient of the King’s University College Award for Excellence in Teaching (Part-time Faculty)
Professor Ruth Ann Strickland, Department of Economics, Business and Mathematics
Dean Camiletti’s Citation
Part Time Faculty make enormous contributions to the University and Professor Ruth Ann Strickland
is one of the very best. Indeed she has been able to marry twenty years of experience in industry with
a very intentional engagement in teaching seminars, conferences and instructional skills workshops to
hone her teaching skills and become by all accounts an outstanding teacher.
Professor Strickland teaches mostly senior courses encompassing a broad range of topics in her
Accounting discipline. In her teaching philosophy she is concerned with whom she is teaching rather
than what she is teaching; her connection with her audience as future leaders; and helping students
overcome obstacles and embrace new concepts to achieve their educational goals. She has been
instrumental in curriculum design, course design and in making the transition to blended and online
learning.
Her students describe her as extremely organised, passionate, energetic, sensitive and in tune with the
degree of student understanding, readily available, very good at keeping the class on track and
focused, approachable, friendly and professional. These testimonials are consistent across all her
courses and among both local and international students.
Her colleagues attest to her high degree of competence and professionalism, to her flexibility and
willingness to learn, to her excellent communication skills, and to her dedication, passion and
commitment. One colleague writes, “Ruth Ann’s teaching style, curriculum development skills, exam
creation abilities, depth and breadth of knowledge, initiative, and her easy going personality are what
make her an excellent instructor”.
In Ruth Ann’s own words, “good teaching does not happen by accident”. Indeed, she is an exemplar
of what excellence in teaching requires and continues to make an outstanding contribution to the
academy.
Instructor Evaluation Chart for the Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence
The number of our full time faculty making the Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence
(DHR) remains within the range of the last five years although that number is lower than it was
last year. Of greater concern is the DHR list for part time instruction. This past year’s ratings are
the lowest in memory. While it may still be the case that the vast majority of our part-time faculty
are very good teachers, this change from past years is a signal that more attention should be paid
to the SET of part time faculty. EPC will be alerted accordingly.
2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Faculty All Honor
Roll % All
Honor
Roll % All
Honor
Roll % All
Honor
Roll % All
Honor
Roll %
Full-time 78.5 47 60% 81.2 52 64% 73.5 53 71% 75.3 52 69% 82.8 55 66%
(-leaves)
Part time 114 73 64% 138 80 58% 155 88 57% 161 110 68% 186 98 53%
2013-2014 Dean’s Honor Roll of Teaching Excellence
Full-Time Department Part-Time
Interdisciplinary Programs
Arnold, Carrie Dunne, Patrick
Cushing, Pamela Gardiner, Rita
Gorman, Eunice Mattys, Sean
Heng, John Pizzale, Norman
Larkin, Allyson Vorstermans, Jessica
Economics, Business and Math
Erenburg, Grigori Adcock, James Robert
Hunter, Trevor Davis Bishop, Bradley Richard Darryl
Ibbott, Peter Bryan, Robert
Jiang, Xing Cho, Sunghoon
Meredith, David Gerald Dawson, William
Weingartner, Shawna Foltin, Peter
Strickland, Ruth Ann Gosse, Julie
Higgins, Janine
Hill, Timothy
Holt, Neil
Kopp, Steven
Malloy, Brandon
McKeon, Desmond
Morrison, Danny L
Robertson, Gail
Turnbull, Joseph
Valluri, See Ram
Walker, Deanna Jane
History
Bangarth, Stephanie Gucciardo, Dorotea
Broad, Graham Gordon Gustavson, Wesley Carl
Jarvis, Eric James Krats, Peter
Meek, Alison Norton, David Jeffrey
Webb, Paul Taylor, Christopher
Temple, Jeffrey Wendell
Vacante, Jeffery
Virtue, Nicholas Gladstone
Modern Languages
Clausius, Claudia Brooks, Sarah Anne
DiCicco, Lorraine Cormier, Andre
Dowdell, Coby Joshua Coulthard, Karl
Lysack, Krista Colleen Fanni, Kenan Gerald
McKellar, Kenneth Greenway, Jeremy
Patton, Brian L. Harnick, Laurie Elizabeth
Small, Susan Elizabeth Hartley, Michelle Rose
Werstine, Paul Joseph, Nigel Leo
Kelly, John
Khimasia, Therese
McMurran, Mary Helen
Morley, Patrick
Natarajan, Sirvidya
Nielsen, Dorothy M.
Purac, Selma Amina
Robinet, Alicia
Whitehead, Oliver
Politics
Hannah, Erin Dunne, Patrick
Mellon, Hugh Fragiskatos, Peter
Muller, Benjamin Laurence, Michael
Tieku, Thomas Mustapha, Jennifer Hawa
Nater, John
Scapillatio, Peter James
Philosophy and Religious Studies
Brown, Hunter Ahmed, Kamran
Geen, Jonathan Baltzer-Jaray, Kimberly
Heng, John Bartley, Andrew
Kato, Julius-Kei Bechard, Michael
Lofts, Stephen Bieber, Trevor
Yenson, Mark Burnetts, Charles
Marsh, Jonathan Patrick
Massecar, Aaron
Robb, Ryan Douglas
Tait, Morgan Christopher
Tremblay, Michael Francis
Walsh, Corinne
Psychology
Arnold, Carrie Cross-Mellor, Shelley Kathleen
Chovaz, Cathy Dishke Hondzel, Catharine
Gorassini, Donald Dumas, Tara Michelle
Hutchinson, Linda Everest, Michelle
Jackson, Lynne Gorman, Glen
Melnyk, Laura Hessels, Sandra Dianne
Penner-Wilger, Marcie Hussey, Karen
Skinner, Nicholas Isaacs, Corey Ronald
Knutt, Adelle
Miller, Michael R.
Ross, Sarah Jane
Sociology
Bruno, Tara Banasiak, Krista Nicole
Cambre, Maria-Carolina Broll, Ryan
Datta, Anisha Cassidy, Gale Lynn
Lavrence, Christine Cushing, Neisha Lynne
Lozanski, Kristin Demaiter, Erin llleane
MacGregor, David Dowler, Ken
Michalski, Joseph Fthenos, Georgios
Reynolds, Jennifer Hamad, Gahad
Zawilski, Valerie Kobayashi, Brenda S.
Pakvis, Patricia
Rainhard, Darren S.
Silcox, Jennifer
Vanderloo, Leigh
Vorstermans, Jessica
School of Social Work
Arundel, Mary Kay
Beres, Laura Fleming, Patrick
Csiernik, Richard Levy, Cliff
Hurley, Dermot Page-Nichols, Melissa
Kwok, Siu Ming Walsh, Corinne
Mantulak, Andrew Wardrop, Nancy Alice
Smith-Carrier, Tracy
Quality Indicators of Teaching
Course coverage (including MSW and excluding faculty on leave):
2009 – 2010 (6 on leave)
Number Sections % Registrations %
Full-time/LTA 78.5 211.3 62.4 8789.4 58.1
Part-time 114 134.7 37.6 6335.9 41.9
2010 – 2011 (9.5 on leave)
Number Sections % Registrations %
Full-time/LTA 81.2 200.2 56 8343.5 54.0
Part-time 138 154.3 44 7182.3 46.0
2011 – 2012 (14.5 on leave)
Number Sections % Registrations %
Full-time/LTA 74.0 196.0 52.6 8089.50 51.3
Part-time 155 176.5 47.4 7694.50 48.7
2012 – 2013 (17.5 on leave)
Number Sections % Registrations %
Full-time/LTA 78 200.0 51.3 7743.00 49.7
Part-time 161 190.5 48.7 7829.75 50.3
2013 – 2014 (15.5 on leave)
Number Sections % Registrations %
Full-time/LTA 82.8 195.0 49.6 7073.5 46.4
Part-time 186 198.5 50.4 8136.0 53.6
Teaching and Course Coverage
For the first time part-time faculty taught a majority of course sections and student registrations.
This reality is due to several factors, including: the reduction of teaching load for full-time faculty
resulting from recent Terms & Conditions negotiations, the growth in course sections, and the
increased number of faculty on sabbatical leave. This reliance on part-time teaching is expected
to decline, however, especially in light of recent hiring of full-time faculty, enrolment trends
(especially lower cross-flows from Western) and the consequent intention to reduce course
sections.
Limited Term Appointments (LTAs): We employed eight LTA’s this past year, a figure that is on
the high side. However, two have been converted to probationary appointments and the others are
leave replacements.
Murshed Chowdhury EBM Economics Sabbatical Leave Replacement
Ruth Ann Strickland EBM Accounting Medical Leave Replacement
Shawna Weingartner EBM Accounting Converted to Tenure Track Appt (Shawna Weingartner hired)
Carrie Arnold DIP Thanatology Sabbatical Leave Replacement
Richard Matthews DIP SJPS Converted to Tenure Track Appointment (Tom Malleson hired)
Linda Hutchinson PSY Psychology Sabbatical Leave Replacement
Maria Carolina Cambre SOC Sociology Sabbatical Leave Replacement
Jennifer Reynolds SOC Sociology Sabbatical Leave Replacement
On leave
o We had 3.0 faculty on non-sabbatical leaves this past year. Two were parental leaves,
each for half the academic year, and 2.0 were medical leaves.
Sabbatical Cycle
o Sabbatical leaves accounted for 12.5 of the 15.5 leaves in the 2013–2014 academic year.
Twenty one sabbatical leaves (18 full year and 3 half year) have been approved for the
2014 – 2015 academic year – a peak year for such leaves.
Teaching load change
o The College is adapting very well to the new teaching load arrangement. From an
administrative point of view teaching load assignments would be greatly simplified if
everyone taught 2.5 courses. This is generally the case in academic units that offer many
half course sections. Disciplines such as History and English, with mostly full course
have fewer course load assignment options.
Student Engagement o We continue to explore way of improving the first year experience for our students.
Recently we have:
o created a student engagement subcommittee of EPC to recommend strategies that
improve retention;
o reduced the size of our larger first year classes in Sociology, Psychology,
Economics, Social Justice and Peace Studies, History and Mathematics;
o increased teaching and tutorial assistance in Economics, Business and
Mathematics courses;
o created the King’s Academic Mentoring Program
o Retention, particularly, from year 1 to year 2 is an issue of major concern for our College.
o We believe very strongly that the success of our students in first year has a
bearing on program choice and their ability to realize their educational goals. The
first to second year full time cohort retention (a count of full time students who
proceed into second year after completing first year with us) was only 74% in the
past year – the lowest in nine years. This year preliminary data indicates an 80%
cohort retention – the highest in nine years.
o We intend a thorough examination of this issue in the Fall of 2014 in order to
adopt appropriate strategies to improve retention.
o Experiential learning initiatives continue to offer students extraordinary experiences
beyond the classroom.
o SJPS to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Intercordia destinations;
o Political Science to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
o History and Political Science to New York;
o Social Work to Guangzhou, China;
o Social Work and Religious Studies to Pine Channel, northern Saskatchewan;
o Religious Studies to the Vatican and Rome.
o The College employs a range of modes of learning to enhance the learning experience
and improve student engagement. These include lecture style learning, the case method of
instruction, experiential learning, group learning, service learning, seminars, senior
thesis, practicum placements and foundation course learning. In an increasingly
competitive recruitment environment our success depends upon our continued investment
in student engagement and the availability of a broad range of learning opportunities.
A Culture Of Scholarship
1. Books, 2013–14
Six faculty authored or co-authored 6 published books (See Appendix B for publication details).
o Graham Broad
o Antonio Calcagno
o Cathy Chovaz
o Patrick Ryan
o Judith Belle Brown
o Mark Yenson
Two faculty edited or co-edited 2 published books (See Appendix B for publication details).
o Paul Werstine
o Matthew Yeager
2. Papers, 2013–14
Over the past year King’s faculty,
(A) authored or co-authored 75 refereed journal articles and book chapters;
(B) presented 95 refereed conference papers;
(C) had 85 manuscripts submitted or approved for publication.
3. Summary Research Activity 2013–14
The following table summarizes research activity by outcome over the last eight years. The results
fluctuate by year.
Selected Research Activity of Full time Faculty, 2003-14
Selected Research
Activity 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Books authored 1 6 2 6 5 5 5 6
Books edited 3 5 3 7 6 3 3 2
Refereed Articles &
Chapters 51 68 53 74 85 78 80 75
Refereed Conference
Papers 66 80 55 81 83 71 72 95
Manuscript
Submissions (includes
forthcoming)
56 92 71 107 81 67 79 85
4. Other Research Initiatives
1. The Faculty Research Activity Committee (FRAC) continues to play an important role in
support of research at King’s. The FRAC met three times in 2013-2014. The FRAC focused
most activities this academic year upon implementing strategies and plans we adopted the
previous year. This involved partnering more closely with the Research Grants Committee
and the Faculty Seminar Committee.
Collaborative Approaches: The outcome of this collaborative approach is a new policy
on the part of the Research Grants Committee requiring recipients of the King’s
Research Grant to agree to present the results of their research at a public forum at
King’s.
Faculty Research Seminar: Further to the previous item, FRAC passed a motion at the
last meeting to take over the activities of the Faculty Research Seminar Committee and
to continue to manage the Seminars while also incorporating Research Days as another
type of Research Presentation Forum at King’s. The background to this motion is that
since FRAC has been created the Faculty Research Seminar Committee is redundant.
Book Launch On January 24th 2014 King’s launched 15 monographs published in the
2012-2013 period by 13 King’s faculty members and two faculty members from St.
Peter’s Seminary. This event was attended by many representatives from various
departments at Western, family and friends of the authors, alumni, a Senior Program
Officer from the Royal Society of Canada, as well as some faculty members from
King’s. FRAC would encourage more members of faculty to attend such events to
celebrate these laudable academic achievements. The Western Bookstore was present
and sold many copies of the books being launched. This event is intended to
complement the Faculty Publications Celebration scheduled in the late spring to
recognize and honour other types of accomplishments in publication by our colleagues.
Royal Society of Canada: King’s has become an Institutional Member of the Royal
Society of Canada as of January 1, 2014. This membership allows King’s to nominate
our colleagues as Fellows of the Royal Society and to the College of New Scholars of
the Royal Society, a College that has just been created this year. We also anticipate
organizing on-campus events in collaboration with the Royal Society.
SSHRC Aid to Small Universities Grant: An application for the Aid to Small
Universities- SSHRC was submitted on behalf of King’s University College. The
outcome of this competition will be announced in the next few months. The proposal
sought funding to enhance our capacity in interdisciplinary research and stronger
linkages with non-academic partners in surrounding communities.
Associate Deans Research: King’s Associate Dean has been named to the Western
Associate Deans Research Group chaired by Dr. John Capone. This facilitates reporting
regarding research initiatives and possibilities at the Constituent University, as well as
raising awareness regarding King’s Faculty research in that forum.
Support for Research Funding Applications: King’s Faculty availed themselves of the
review opportunities for their grant proposals provided through the Academic Dean’s
Office. Several of our colleagues had their SSHRC proposals reviewed by Erin Huner
at Western and report that they found that process to be very helpful.
SSHRC Information: A SSHRC Information session was held on May 8th,
2013. Two
Research Officers responsible for SSHRC programs from Western came to King’s to
inform Faculty about those programs and application procedures.
WEBSITE: FRAC continues to update our research website informing our community
regarding Funding Opportunities as well as information sessions and other useful
application tools. We also continue to celebrate the accomplishments of our colleagues
applying for and receiving national and international funding and other types of research
recognition and awards.
2. Generally, aggregate research activity per faculty member has been rising since 2006 – 07
when the College reduced the teaching load from 9 courses over 3 years to 8. However, it is
the case that we have a small productive core that makes the lion’s share of contribution to
the research profile of the College. It is also the case that a group of faculty have not
submitted their activity reports, thereby compromising the accuracy of this year’s count.
Aggregate Research Activity 2003-13
Full-
time
Faculty
Total
Research
Activity
by Raw
Research
Index
Raw
Research
Activity
per FT
Faculty
Total
Research
Activity
by
Weighted
Index
Weighted
Research
Activity
per FT
Faculty
2003-04 64 319 5.08 449.75 7.03
2004-05 66 370 5.61 451.25 6.84
2005-06 71 384 5.41 473.50 6.67
2006-07 74 362 4.89 459.00 6.20
2007-08 84 477 5.68 627.50 7.47
2008-09 86 381 4.43 486.50 5.82
2009-10 87 494 5.68 670.25 7.70
2010-11 91 424 4.66 756.00 8.31
2011-12 90 434 4.82 719.75 8.00
2012-13 83 294 3.54 594.00 7.16
2013-14 77 418 5.4 692.8 9.00
Average for 2009-13 85.6 412.8 4.8 686.6 8.07
Notes: Raw research index assigns a unit of 1.0 to every activity that could be classified as research
related as submitted annually by faculty to their department chairs. A word of caution is in order
regarding data collected in prior years as some faculty may not have been encouraged by their Chairs to
submit their reports.
The Weighted Research Index assigns a differential weighting to the various activities. For example a
refereed article is weighted at 3.0 while a manuscript submission receives 0.25.
(Note: FT faculty calculations do not include the following: Principal and Academic Dean)
CATEGORY TYPE WEIGHT
Publications Book
CD-ROM
Edited Book
Refereed Article or Book
Chapter
10
3
3
3
Once again a relatively small number of faculty were active researchers in 2013-14.
Here are a few stats:
Top ten researchers by productivity accounted for 47% of the weighted index.
This same group contributed 41% of total raw activity.
Only 11 faculty (14%) were in gaged in 11 or more research related activities or 188 (46%) of the 408
recorded activities in the Raw Research Index. At the other end of the scale 15 (19%) indicated no
specific research related activity.
55FT faculty (71.4%) recorded 0 to 5 research related activity over the past year.
The top three Departments/School in terms of research activity were Social Work, Philosophy and
Religious Studies and Sociology respectively. Although these measures of research engagement are
crude, it is nonetheless clear that research related activity is far from uniformly distributed across faculty
and academic units.
5. Sabbatical Leaves 2013-14
Fourteen faculty were on sabbatical leave this past year.
Full Year: Ayoub Yousefi (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
Robert Ventresca (History)
Darcy Harris (Interdisciplinary Programs)
Ian Rae (Modern Languages)
Reviews and Research Notes
Non-refereed articles or book
chapters
Journal Editor
2
2
3
Papers Presented Refereed Papers Presented
Invited Papers, Workshops,
Poster Sessions, Case Studies
Other Presentations
2
1
.25
Manuscripts
Submitted for
Publication or
Forthcoming
.25
Antonio Calcagno (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
Gyongi Hegedus (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
Tozun Bahcheli (Political Science)
Wendy Ellis (Psychology)
Don Gorassini (Psychology)
Don Kerr (Sociology)
Matthew Yeager (Sociology)
Half Year: Glen Copplestone (winter term) (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
David Meredith (fall term) (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
Bernie Hammond (winter term) (Interdisciplinary Programs)
6. Approved Sabbatical Leaves for 2014-15
This year the Board approved the recommendations of the Leave Committee for the following 21
sabbaticals:
Full Year: Peter Ibbott (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
Grigori Erenburg (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
Sergio Janczak (Economics, Business and Mathematics)
Paul Webb (History)
Pat Ryan (Interdisciplinary Programs)
Bryan Patton (Modern Languages)
Hunter Brown (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
John Heng (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
Chaya Halberstam (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
Mahdi Tourage (Philosophy and Religious Studies)
Erin Hannah (Political Science)
Benjamin Muller (Political Science)
Jacquetta Newman (Political Science)
Imants Baruss (Psychology)
Lynne Jackson (Psychology)
Dermot Hurley (Social Work)
Lesley Harman (Sociology)
Kristin Lozanski (Sociology)
Half Year: Alison Meek (History)
Susan Small (Modern Languages)
Richard Csiernik (Social Work)
A. Sabbatical Leave Pattern
Please note that the timing of sabbaticals is associated with our hiring cycles following academic
reviews and is therefore not uniformly distributed. The table below illustrates the leave
variability. The last entry is an estimate.
Year 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16
Sabb 13.0 16.0 10.0 6.5 8.0 9.5 14.0 12.5 19.5 11
The number of part-time and overload contracts fluctuates accordingly.
7. Research Grants Program
The College continues to support research through its Research Grants program. The following
table outlines the level of support over an eight year period that includes six past academic years,
the current one and the next.
Support for Research Projects
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15
105,142 136,511
Ave Grant
Allocation ($)2,418 2,536 2,469 2,696 2,730 2,873 3,277
136,402
3,327
137,897 137,652
Faculty
Receiving
Grants
39 32 44 39 50 48 4541
Amount
granted ($)94,293 81,152 108,650
Course buy outs are available for recipients of large external grants from Tri-Council Agencies or
similar granting bodies. The new guidelines provide for up to two course buyouts per year to be
distributed on a competitive basis. The list of successful applicants for buy outs is given below.
Buy outs for the 2013 -14 academic year
Rick Csiernick (Social Work) 1 half course
8. External Grants
Our faculty continue to seek external funding from SHHRC primarily and from other granting
agencies. A more comprehensive list of external grant funding is provided in Appendix B.
SSHRC Insight Grants
Part II: Recommended – not supported for Lack of Funds
Antonio Calcagno (Philosophy)
Steve Lofts (Philosophy)
Dora Tam (Social Work)
SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Part I: Grants
Erin Hannah (Political Science): $63,942.00
Kristin Lozanski (Sociology): $58,833.00
Part II: Recommended – not supported for Lack of Funds
Tracy Smith-Carrier (Social Work)
Funding to Support the Presentation of Papers at Learned Conferences
Many faculty continue to present their research work at conferences. This past year 95
presentations were given by 58 faculty. Among these, six faculty (Stephanie Bangarth, Antonio
Calcagno, Pamela Cushing, Steve Lofts, Kristin Lozanski and Ian Rae presented on three
occasions.
Support for Presentations at Conferences
2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Faculty Receiving Grants 46 51 51 56 58 45 56 58
Papers Delivered 77 90 144
81 72 85 95
Amount granted $10,227 $99,838 $126,013 $110,272 $107,806 $108,650 127,955 $148,939
9. Appointments Promotion and Tenure
1. Academic Appointments 2013–14
Additions to Complement
o Allyson Larkin SJPS
o Anisha Datta Sociology
Replacement Positions in 2013-14
Tom Tieku replaced Will McKercher (Political Science)
Leave Replacements in 2013-14
o Carrie Arnold 1 year LTA in Thanatology
o Richard Matthews 1 year LTA in SJPS
o Lynda Hutchinson 1 year LTA in Psychology
o Maria-Carolina Cambre 1 year LTA in Sociology
o Jennifer Reynolds 1 year LTA in Sociology
o Murshed Chowdhury 1 year LTA in Economics
o Ruth Ann Strickland 1 year LTA in Business
2. Retirements effective June 30, 2014
o Ken Bowlby Economics, Business and Mathematics
o Hugh Mellon Political Science
o Judith Dunlop Social Work
o Diane Humphrey Psychology
3. Approved Parental Leaves 2013-14
o Hui Feng EBM (2nd
term)
o Megan Shore SJPS (2nd
term)
4. Academic Appointments approved for 2014–15
Additions to Complement
o Tom Malleson Probationary contract in SJPS (January 2015 in DIP)
o Shawna Weingartner Probationary contract in MOS (EBM)
o Georgia Mouroutsou Probationary contract in Philosophy (PRS)
Replacement Positions in 2014-15
o John Grant early replacement of Tozun Bahcheli (Political Science)
o Andrea Lawlor replacement of Hugh Mellon (Political Science)
o Mike Morrison replacement of Diane Humphrey (Psychology)
o The School of Social Work will seek a replacement for Prof. Judith Dunlop for the 2015-
16 academic year.
Leave Replacements
o Dr. Lynda Hutchinson 1 Year LTA (Psychology)
o Professor Jennifer Reynolds 1 Year LTA (Sociology)
o Dr. Maria-Carolina Cambre 1 Year LTA (Sociology)
o Professor Ruth Ann Strickland 1 Year LTA (Business)
o Dr. Sam Frankel 1 Year LTA (DIP - CSI)
Promotions effective July 1, 2013
o Dr. Grigori Erenburg to Associate Professor with tenure in Economics
o Dr. Chaya Halberstam to Associate Professor with tenure in Religious Studies
o Dr. Erin Hannah to Associate Professor with tenure in Political Science
o Dr. Sergio Janczak to Full Professor in Business
o Dr. Kristin Lozanski to Associate Professor with tenure in Socioclogy
Promotions effective July 1, 2014
o Dr. Krista Lysack to Assoc. Professor with tenure in English (1 year early)
o Dr. Graham Broad to Assoc. Professor with tenure in History
o Dr. Cathy Chovaz to Associate Professor with tenure in Psychology
o Dr. Siu Ming Kwok to Full Professor in Social Work
Contract Renewals effective July 1, 2014
o Dr. Coby Dowdell two years at the rank of Assistant Professor June 30,
2014-16.
The following table (which includes ALL FT academic appointments with 1 or more teaching
assignments) traces the development of our full-time faculty complement over the last few years.
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Full Professor 12 13 12 12 13 12 12 12 12
Associate Professor 43 46 48 53 56 58 63 64 64
Assistant Professor 19 24 26 24 21 17 17 15 19
LTA 5 6 5 3 5 7 5 7 5
79 89 91 92 95 94 97 100 100
Three promotions to associate professor, one promotion to full professor, one retirement of a full
professor, six probationary track hires and five LTA’s (as sabbatical leave replacements) were the major
factors causing the shift in numbers from the previous year. The pool of assistant professors is indeed a
very talented pool of teacher scholars with significant research agendas.
Gender balance has improved slightly in favour of women this past year, although the proportions are not
uniform across academic units. The majority of full-time faculty in Interdisciplinary Programs,
Psychology, Social Work and Sociology are female while Economics, Business and Math and Philosophy
and Religious Studies continue to have a disproportionate number of males. However, a male hire in
Psychology and Interdisciplinary Studies, a female hire in Philosophy and a female hire and an LTA in
MOS will help restore some balance.
Gender distribution 2005 -2013
Gender 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
F 23 25 26 36 39 35 37 38 44 46
M 48 49 52 52 52 56 56 56 56 54
% F 32 34 33 41 43 38 40 40 44 46
% M 68 66 67 59 57 62 60 60 56 54
ACADEMIC DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS
Department of Economics Business and Mathematics
In November 2013, the Senate Committee on Academic Policy and Awards (SCAPA) at Western
rated both the Economics, and Management and Organizational Studies (MOS) programs “Good
Quality” thereby concluding a year-long and arduous External Review of these two programs.
The Specialization in Accounting has been approved by the University Senate. This program is
intended to offer more choice to students in MOS specialization programs.
Professor Ruth Ann Strickland received the King’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
The EBM department carried out a variety of student support programs with great success
throughout the year:
o the EBM Career Day;
o the Graduate Studies Information Session;
o the Accounting Profession Information Night;
o the MOS Co-op programs;
o the Ambassador Program (in conjunction with the Principal’s office and the ADO;
o multiple support meetings for international program students;
o a MOS experiential learning trip to France.
Department of History
New Course Preparations
o Stephanie Bangarth
HIS3285E Canada in the World: Studies in Foreign Policy
o Adam Bohnet
o History 2650E - Peppers, Pirates and Priests, prepared as a new
course to provide credit for the World History component of the
History program;
o History 3695E, War and the Memory of War in East Asia;
o Economics 2160B - Economic History of Early Modern East
Asia
o Graham Broad
History 2808 F
History 2800 G
History 1901E (first time I taught the full course)
o Alison Meek
HIS2193A/B
American Studies 9301B
Department of Interdisciplinary Programs
A new Childhood and Advocacy certificate as well as a diploma were introduced in CSI;
A new Disabilities Studies minor module under the leadership of Professor Pamela Cushing has
been put into place;
SJPS began significant program revisions coordinated by Professor Patrick Ryan;
Professor Darcy Harris started the process of transferring Thanatology’s certificate on Grief and
Bereavement from Western to King’s;
Women’s Studies courses experienced renewed growth with the introduction of two new
instructors.
Both CSI and DS experienced growth in course registrations this year;
CSI and Thanatology experienced increased modular registrations.
The situation on the administrative support side has been eased somewhat by the willingness of
faculty to tackle some of the workload of the ARAs and academic counsellors and the willingness
of academic support staff to accommodate extended work demands.
Department of Modern Languages
Early promotion and tenure for Dr. Krista Lysack;
Renewal of Dr. Coby Dowdell’s probationary contract;
Institution of the King’s Scholar (KS) in Western Thought and Civilization (WTC) program,
Excellent relations with Western’s English Department, full-time, tenured members of which
gladly come to King’s, when needed, to staff courses, as Dr. Helen McMurran did this year in
English 2307E and as Dr. Alison Conway will do next year for a section of English 1020E;
English
Dr. Dowdell created English 2061F: “Psychology & Literature: Tortured Minds, Twisted Texts,”
For Childhood and Social Institutions, Dr. Vidya Natarajan created and still teaches two half-
courses in the history of Children’s Literature;
With the inauguration of the Catholic Studies for Teachers program, Dr. Dorothy Nielsen created
and taught English 2239E: “Survey of Noted Catholic Authors.”
One of our full-time faculty has agreed to develop a course on crime-writing or detective fiction
aimed at students in Criminology. We also experimented this year with the general interest course
“English 2058G: The Literary Undead.” There are several other courses offered by English
faculty for decades that are pitched to the whole College population—Science Fiction, Children’s
Literature, Popular Culture.
French
One year ago we decided, for pedagogical reasons, to reallocate our language laboratory
resources such that starting this year we could have two language assistants every year. With two
assistants, more individual attention can now be given to the oral and aural progress of each
student in our laboratory classes. The assistants’ work in the language laboratory was invaluable,
and they proved to be a great resource for faculty and students alike. We are fortunate that both
Sophie-Anne and Marion will be returning to serve as language assistants at King’s next year;
Our two French exchange programmes with the Université de Nice and the Université Catholique
de Lille continue to be very successful. The exchanges are designed for students of French who
will complete the full third-year of their French module requirements during their year abroad.
The selection process is competitive and limited. Candidates must go through a formal interview
process and are evaluated on their record of academic performance, their language proficiency,
the module in which they are registered, and their cultural awareness. This past year we sent two
students (Robert Matuszczak and Ryan Séguin) to Lille and one (Qaium Nakeyar) to Nice for the
full academic year. For the coming year we selected four students to participate in the exchanges
(two at Nice and two at Lille), although one student later had to withdraw for personal reasons.
These official exchanges are one of the highlights of our French programme, and although only a
few students are selected to participate, our exchanges certainly raise our profile for incoming
students;
Our French Peer Tutoring Programme, now in its fourteenth year, was again very popular this
year. Third-year and fourth-year students volunteer their time to help first-year and second-year
students who have difficulties with French grammar and readings. We feel that the tutoring
experience helps to maintain and to improve our good retention rates, and we will certainly
continue to offer peer tutoring in the future.
French 4100F/G, the independent senior research paper, continues to attract our better fourth-year
students. This year Professors Small, Koski, and McKellar supervised five research papers.
Writing
Dr. Dorothy Nielsen ably filled the position of Assistant to the Writing Coordinator and helped
coordinate Writing and The Write Place this year when there were many extra sections and a new
group of instructors.
Last year saw record highs for THE WRITE PLACE, but after our move to the King Centre our
numbers increased by about 20%. We had to request some additional funds. We have already had
more than two thousand appointments from all disciplines and will be open through the summer
because demand remains extremely high. THE WRITE PLACE made more than 100 classroom
visits.
In the fall, THE WRITE PLACE’s Creative Writing Visiting Authors Series presented an
interdisciplinary Green Fest, opening with a reading by Governor General's Award-winning Dr.
Jan Zwicky, along with an original composition by Dr. Oliver Whitehead (performed by the
King's University College Chamber Choir under the direction of Janet Loo). This two-day
festival, attended by about 200 people, also featured environmental displays and presentations by
King's students and staff and community groups, a panel discussion with Dr. Zwicky and the
King's Philosophy Club, a dance workshop by the Centre for Creativity's Ruth Douthwright, an
art display by Dr. Gloria Mulcahy, a poetry reading by King's students and faculty, along with
guest poets from the community and from Western and its other affiliates.
In the winter, to help open THE WRITE PLACE's new office in the King Centre, Dr. Nielsen
read from her new collection of poetry to a full room in THE WRITE PLACE. A few weeks later,
local playwright Dan Ebbs gave a performance to a rapt audience of 40+ students, alumni/ae,
faculty, and guests in the learning commons of the Centre, followed by a drama workshop in the
new J&P Kenny Theatre.
Several creative writing workshops were held for students or for
faculty/staff/administration in one of the comfortable meeting rooms in the
Centre during the fall and winter.
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
Philosophy
Dr. Georgia Mouroutsou was hired to fill the Department’s need for a faculty member
specializing in an Ancient Philosophy;
CAREP hosted four invited speakers this year: (1) Fabien Capeilleres, Maitre de conférence HdR
at Université de Caen (Nov. 14); (2) Stephen Watson, University of Notre Dame (Feb. 27); (3)
Simon Critchley, The New School (Mar. 6); and (4) Sebastian Luft, Marquette University (Mar.
13);
In an effort to expand on the Foundations Year, people in Modern Languages (incl. Claudia
Classius) and History (incl. Rob Ventresca), in conjunction with Antonio Calcagno and John
Heng, designed an entire Major in Western Civilization & Thought (WTC) that would be the
natural follow-up to the Foundations Year. Eventually, this Major Program was scaled down to
include only three new upper-year courses in WTC (totaling 2.0 courses) with a KS (King’s
Scholar) designation: KS 2901E, 3901Z and 4901Z. Each of these courses integrates Philosophy
into the course content;
Religious Studies
The Religious Studies side of the Department is always looking for ways to develop and
strengthen the Catholic Studies programs. In furtherance of this, for the second time, the
department ran a course on ‘Rome and the Christian Tradition,’ which included a nine-day guided
trip through Rome and Assisi (jointly supervised by Carolyn Chau and Mark Yenson). By all
reports, both the course and the trip were a grand success. We intend to run this course every
second year.
Several members of the Department (Brown, Chau, Kato and Yenson) created a Constitution for a
new center at King’s known as the Center for Advanced Research in Catholic Thought (CARCT),
modeled upon CAREP. The creation of this center, long a desideratum of the department and
supported in our recent external review, was spurred on by Steve Loft’s announcement that he
had arranged a conference on the work of Catholic philosopher and theologian Jean-Luc Marion
for March 2015, at which Marion himself would deliver the keynote address. Thus, the first
CARCT event will be the Marion conference, which it will host in conjunction with CAREP.
In collaboration with its partners at Huron and Main-History, the RS side of the department was
o involved in the following significant developments in the Jewish Studies (JS) program:
a delay of the external review of the JS Program from 2014-15 to 2015-16,
approved by John Doerksen;
a thorough review of all modular course offerings;
the creation of two new Jewish history courses to be offered by Main-History;
the creation of a new one-term ‘Introduction to Jewish Studies’ course to be
offered by Main-History; and
the hiring of a new Director of Jewish Studies (2-year LTA) at Main-History.
RS has also made strides to work with other departments at the College in the designing of new
courses. In conjunction with SJPS, two of our RS faculty created new 0.5 courses
at the 3000- level: RS 3452F/G ‘Liberation Theology’ (J.K. Kato); and SJPS
3360 F/G ‘Islam, Justice& Peace’ (M. Tourage). Both of these courses are
designed to be open to both RS and SJPS students.
In order to broaden the scope of our Religious Studies modules, Jonathan Geen
and Lynne Jackson have been working on the development of a 2000-level
Psychology of Religion course that could be open to RS students without the
need of psychology pre-requisites. At present, it appears that such a course will
soon be on the books.
The PRS Department continues to provide outstanding teaching, and all our faculty, fulltime and
part-time, are highly motivated to continually improve their teaching and mentoring of students,
which includes conducting Independent Studies courses where warranted. One of the great
strengths of our department is that, with very few exceptions, all required courses in our modules
are taught by full-time faculty.
Department of Political Science
The Department undertook its first class experiential learning trip with great success. Students
from Polisci 2225E and Polisci 3345E travelled to Addis Ababa Ethiopia over the reading week
to visit and interview with Consular officials (Canada and the United States), officials from the
African Union (AU), the UNECA (UN Economic Commission for Africa) and various academics
and think tanks active in Africa and with the AU. This trip was organized by Dr. Tieku and the
Associate Dean, Dr. Rene Saloudre La France and Dr. Jacquetta Newman accompanied the trip.
Department of Psychology
We hired Dr. Mike Morrison, a Social Psychologist with expertise in Health and Indigenous
Studies, on a tenure-track faculty position.
We hired Dr. Lynda Hutchinson, an Educational-Developmental Psychologist with expertise on
self-regulation and learning, on a Limited-Term Appointment.
Students in PSY4891E, along with faculty, are planning a trip to the Annual Undergraduate
Thesis Conference.
A team of students was nominated for a Canadian Mental Health Association Award for a mental
health stigma reduction program they developed in PSY4694E. With the support of Dr. Chovaz
and Dr. Penner-Wilger, an Ontario camp organization and several schools have adopted the
program.
A team of students in PSY4694E developed a peer mentorship program that will be implemented
at King’s in 2014-2015.
School of Social Work
In conjunction with the Registrar, Dean of Students and the Academic Dean’s Office, and with
the support of various King’s faculty, the School coordinated another very successful session of
Liberal Arts 101. This enabled a group of 20 to 25 low income participants to experience
university level teaching and to connect with the College.
In the Fall term we hosted a visiting professor from South China Agricultural University in
Guangzhou, China. Professor Li was the first Chinese instructor to take advantage of the
partnership agreement between King’s and SCAU. Her research interests included social work
practice with the elderly and she investigated Canadian practices and programs in this area.
As well, we hosted a group of students and their faculty advisor from SCAU. They visited King’s
in early October meeting with King’s students, visiting local social service agencies, interacting
with other international students at King’s and attending social work classes.
In November the School assisted with the organization and delivery of a very successful
conference on blended learning. Faculty members of the School have been introducing this new
pedagogical approach and the conference was very helpful in moving this initiative forward.
In the spring the School supported another very successful experiential learning trip for a group
of six 3rd Year BSW students to South China Agricultural University. Siu Ming Kwok and
Laura Béres accompanied the students along with Julie Siverns from our support staff and Lucille
Brennan, a field instructor. These exchanges have served to strengthen our ties with SCAU and
we are continuing to plan for the introduction of a 2+2 program in the fall of 2016.
Laura Béres will also be accompanying a group of social work students to the Pine Channel first
nation community with the group of religious studies students led by Father Béchard.
In the spring of 2014, King’s was approached by a community group formed to establish a
London Poverty Research Centre. The School of Social Work and its faculty are very actively
involved in this initiative and are looking forward to supporting research in this area and
engaging our students in its activities.
Faculty members from the School have begun or continue in roles showing national leadership in
the profession and in education for the profession:
o Dora Tam served as Vice President of the Board of the Canadian Association for Social
Work Education (CASWE); our accreditation body.
o Siu Ming Kwok served on the Commission on Accreditation of the CASWE.
o Rachel Birnbaum chaired the Canadian Council of Social Work Regulators.
o Siu Ming Kwok was appointed full professor to commence July 1, 2014. The school now
has three full professors among its thirteen faculty members.
We welcomed the first cohort of BSW students admitted under our new admission requirements.
This group came into the program with a broader scope of liberal arts courses, a mandatory
writing course and a higher minimum grade in research methodology. However, we did notice a
significant reduction in the number of applications to the program (from approximately 150 to
110). We will be monitoring this in the coming years however the reduction in applications did
not affect the quality of applicant accepted to into the program. Interestingly we had a record
number of applicants for the MSW program.
We also began the implementation of our revised BSW program by introducing a new third year
curriculum. The focus of fall courses was on foundational knowledge and winter courses
provided concentrated study on the aspects of generalist social work practice.
We completed our work on revisions to our Advanced Standing MSW program and the new
curriculum was supported by both our School Council and the Faculty Council of King’s.
Western’s approval will be sought next year with expected implementation of the new one-year
post BSW program in the fall of 2016.
The School prepared a report which was included in the College’s mini academic review which
took place in the spring. Highlights of the plan include the exploration of the feasibility of
changing the BSW to a modular program to allow students to add minors and the establishment of
a two-year MSW program.
Department of Sociology
The Department of Sociology welcomed Dr. Anisha Datta as our newest full-time member. She
joined the faculty in a tenure-track appointment effective July 1, 2013.
Jennifer (Jennie) Reynolds accepted her second one-year LTA position in Criminology for the
2014-15 academic year.
Carolina Cambre accepted her second consecutive one-year LTA position in Sociology for the
2014-15 academic year.
Based on the External Appraisal, the Departmental Response, and the subsequent Mini-Academic
Review, the Department ultimately decided upon some modest restructuring of the program,
focusing mainly on the Degree requirements for students choosing to major in Sociology and/or
Criminology. The most important of these include:
o standardizing the tutorial component of Soc 1020 to ensure our students develop critical
reading, writing and analytic skills;
o eliminating the Specialization in Sociology;
o clarifying the extent to which the Sociology and Criminology modules may overlap;
o coordinating the core requirements of both Majors to be more consistent;
o expanding the selection options available to fulfill degree requirements;
o standardizing statistics requirements to ensure more compatibility with statistics courses
offered by other social science departments; and introducing a fourth-year advanced
theory and research course for those doing an Honor’s specialization in Criminology (Soc
4409) to replace Soc 4405.
Student-Enrolment and Admissions Standards
The 2013-2014 admissions season was very challenging. With a required increase in the OSSD
admissions average to 77% and a smaller applicant pool, we continued to make admissions offers
right until the beginning of classes and made the admissions target. Unfortunately, the retention
of our returning students was lower than anticipated which resulted in a small enrolment.
The growing impact of the Catholic partnerships was demonstrated in the increase in separate
school applicants from 34% TO 37.7% and a huge increase of registrants 47.8 TO 57.5% Our
applicants from the GTA grew from 33% to 35%, however our registrants dropped to an all-time
low of 12%. Overall numbers to on-campus events as a result of more events although numbers
at individual events remained the same or dropped.
Undergraduate enrolment dropped from 3222 full-time students last year to 3149 full-time
students his year.
The full time student equivalent dropped from 3145.5 to 3078.6 whereas the full time faculty
equivalent grew from 142.9 to 152.1.
The faculty/ student ratio was 21.9:1 in 2012-3 and it decreased to 20.3:1.
A range of analysis and information is found in the annual Admissions and Enrolment Report and
it remains an invaluable source of institutional data and a vibrant document which changes
according to the needs and interests of the College.
Separate And Non-Separate Secondary School Applicants And Confirmed Responses
2008 - 2013
Separate OSSD Applicants
(Confirmed Responses)
Non-Separate OSSD Applicants
(Confirmed Responses)
TOTALS
2008-2009 862 (248) 1693 (374) 2555 (622)
Overall % 33.7 (39.9) 66.3 (60.1)
2009-2010 843 (261) 1537 (398) 2380 (659)
Overall % 35.4 (39.6) 64.5 (60.4)
2010-2011 777 (301) 1468 (406) 2245 (707)
Overall % 37.55 (42.5) 65.4 (57.4)
2011-2012 794 (253) 1440 (359) 2234 (612)
Overall % 35.5 (41.3) 64.5 (58.7)
2012-2013 855 (275) 1414 (300) 2269 (575)
Overall % 37.7 (47.8) 62.3 (52.2)
2013-2014 762 (320) 1481 (237) 2243 (557)
Overall % 34 (57.5) 66 (42.5)
Regional Distribution of Ontario Secondary School Applicants (Registrants) By Region
Toronto &
Reg
London &
Reg
Southwest
Ontario
Hamilton/
Niagara
Central
Eastern
Northern
Ontario
TOTAL
2008-2009
35 (19)
40 (59)
16 (15)
5 (7)
3 (1)
1 (.4)
2555 (622)
2009-2010
40 (18)
35 (56)
12 (18)
9 (6)
2 (1)
1 (.3)
2572 (634)
2010-2011
29 (18)
45 (61)
14 (15)
9 (4)
2 (1)
1 (1)
2187 (668)
2011-2012
33 (17)
42 (64)
14 (15)
8 (4)
1 (1)
1 (1)
2181 (610)
2008 – 2013 (Numbers shown as percentages except in total column.)
Real Numbers of Registrants
Full-Time Enrolment 2006-11
Year 1 (%)
Senior
General (%)
Senior
Honors (%) Totals
2007-08 854 28 1529 50 677 22 3060
2008-09 949 30 1435 46 699 24 3083
2009-10 947 30 1454 47 699 23 3100
2010-11 916 28 1534 48 752 26 3202
2011-12 876 27 1610 49 783 24 3269
2012-13 821 25.5 1577 49 824 25.5 3222
2013-14 848 27 1523 48 778 25 3149
Graduates by Year of Continuous Study
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
3 or 4 years
Continuous 365 323 319 305
359
399
All Graduates 745 714 690 671
2012-2013
33 (20)
37 (55)
16 (16)
14 (8)
3 (1)
1 (1)
2320 (539)
2013-2014
35 (12)
39 (64)
14 (13)
7 (8)
4 (2)
1 (1)
2207 (545)
Toronto &
Reg
London &
Reg
Southwest
Ontario
Hamilton/
Niagara
Central
Eastern
Northern
Ontario
2009-2010
112
359
118
36
7
2
2010-2011
121
410
97
24
9
7
2011-2012
102
386
87
21
8
6
2012-2013
106
294
88
42
6
3
2013-2014
64
350
72
45
10
4
3 or 4 Yr 774 850
Continuous
Grads as % of
All Graduates 49 45 46 45
46
47
The table indicates that the number of students enrolled in continuous 3 or 4-year programs has
stayed consistent over the past five years.
CAMPUS MINISTRY AT KING’S
The Mission Statement of the Office of Campus Ministry Firmly rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition, Campus Ministry seeks to nurture and
challenge students, staff, faculty and the wider community in order to bring all into a
deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. To this end, we provide programs and services
in the areas of advocacy, catechesis, evangelization, community life, prayer and
worship, justice and peace, leadership development and pastoral counseling. We
promote ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and prayer and seek to understand and
serve the People of God and the entire human family. Campus Ministry thereby
fosters an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds walk together
on the faith journey.
In addition to the ministry provided at King's University College, members of the staff of the
Office of Campus Ministry are also charged with responsibility for the wider UWO community.
Canonically established as a “personal parish” of the university, a small number of families from
the city join us regularly for worship.
Personnel
The Office of Campus Ministry is comprised of Michael Béchard (Rev.) (BA, MDiv, MA,
DMin.), Melissa Page Nichols (BSW, MSW, BA), Janet Loo (BSc., BMus., MMus.), Annette
Donovan Panchaud (BA, MDiv) and Maija Wilson (BA). Lisa Caeiro (BA) holds the position of
Administrative Assistant.
This year we were also grateful to have had two work-study students in our department and the
privilege to continue work with Deacon Jim Panchaud and Reverend Paul Baillargeon.
The community celebrated daily Eucharist at King’s at 12:00PM Tuesdays thru Fridays in
addition to the two Sunday liturgies at 10:30AM (Revera’s Windermere on The Mount) and
5:00PM (Elizabeth A. “Bessie” Labatt Hall).
Again this year, The Office of Campus Ministry offered evening celebrations of Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament on the second Thursday of each month. Evenings were well attended and
students expressed gratitude for the opportunity to gather, sing, pray and reflect in the presence of
the Blessed Sacrament. Surprisingly, this event drew an average of thirty students per gathering.
We will continue to do this next year. We also plan on training a number of students to lead
exposition, as directed by the text “Worship of the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass.” As
always, our goal is to form men and women for leadership in the Church.
The annual Convocation Mass took place on June 11, 2013 and was a success. Members of
Campus Ministry were responsible for organizing the elements of the Mass and ensuring
engagement from every group within the King’s community.
Christ the King University Parish
Through diocesan mandate, the parish is able to celebrate and record sacraments. Besides those
connected to King’s University College and Western University as staff, faculty, students and
alumni, the parish provision also extends to those who intentionally choose and register with our
parish community.
Our sacramental registers indicate that in the last year:
o 40 people were baptized
o 9 people received their first communion
o 5 people were confirmed
o another 5 were received into full-communion with the Catholic Church
o 1 individuals celebrated their first confession
o 19 weddings were celebrated
o 5 funerals were celebrated
A number of couples connected to the university were prepared for marriage at King’s, with their
weddings celebrated elsewhere. Accompanying dispensations or Declarations of Nullity were
processed through our office.
Parish Finances
Between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014, $165 387.11 was collected from the parish community,
a 4% increase from the previous year [$158 435.38]. The bulk of the monies collected came from
the 247 families currently registered. The average offering is $25.
Included in this figure is the money collected through electronic tithing, which was introduced in
June 2009. At the moment, we have 36 families registered for “electronic tithing,” with
$43344.00 being collected on the first business day of each month. These monies are all
deposited and receipted by the King's University College Foundation.
Some loose monies were also provided by parishioners. These monies were offered for such
things as flowers, Christmas decorations and monies specified by parishioners to be directed to
students in our community who were in need.
This year, the Office of Campus Ministry was more active in collecting donations from the parish
and wider College community and took up collections for the Needs for the Church in the Holy
Land ($1025.00), Thanksgiving Appeal ($510.00), St. Peter’s Seminary Appeal ($890.00), St.
Joseph’s Hospitality Centre ($934.40) and the Share Lent Campaign designated to Development
and Peace ($1025.00).
In addition to the receipted donations, The Office of Campus Ministry assumed responsibility for
all bookings in ‘The Chapel’ at 1486 Richmond Street beginning in March 2011. Between
weddings, funerals, recitals and the weekly Sunday celebrations of the extraordinary form, we
collected $10150.00, a 30% increase from the previous year [$7810.00] between May 1, 2013 and
April 30, 2014.
In addition to this, on Saturday, November 16, 2013 the “Strong Marriages…Strong Families
Conference” was once again held at King’s University College. For a variety of reasons this
relationship has been discontinued.
Diocesan and Community Responsibilities
Outside of the office, in attempting to respond to the items in the strategic plan asking for greater
involvement in the community, we were also involved with the following:
Michael Béchard (Rev.) o Director - Office of Campus Ministry
o Pastor – Christ the King University Parish
o Diocesan Liturgy Director
o Chair – Centre for Catholic-Jewish-Muslim Learning
o Lecturer at King's University College (Two .5 Course)
o Lecturer at the Institute for Catholic Formation (Permanent Diaconate Program)
o Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers’ Association (Member)
o Ontario Liturgical Commission (Member)
o UWO Chaplains’ Association (Member)
o Commentator for CTV / Papal Transition and Election
o Community Outreach Visitor – Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre
o As a result of Father Béchard’s role on these committees, he was active in planning and
facilitating events in the wider community, as well as in a number of parishes and
mosques. He is a frequent speaker in parishes and for the school boards on various
liturgical matters.
Melissa Page Nichols o Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers’ Association (Member)
o UWO Chaplains’ Association (Member)
o Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (Member)
o Ontario Association of Social Workers (Member)
Janet Loo o Artistic Director / Conductors of King’s University College Chamber Choir
o UWO Faculty Association
o University of Western Ontario Chaplains Association
o Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry (CCCM) and CCCM Communications Committee
(Member)
o National Association of Pastoral Musicians
o London Deanery representative, Diocese of London Music Committee
o Association of Canadian Choral Communities
Annette Donovan Panchaud
o Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers’ Association (Member)
o Global Connections (Chair for CCCM Association)
o Regional Southwestern Ontario CCODP (Member)
o UWO Chaplains’ Association (Member)
o London Deanery Executive (Member)
o Development and Peace National Council (Southwestern Representative)
Lisa Caeiro
o Secretary – Centre for Jewish-Catholic-Muslim Learning
Maija Wilson
o Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers’ Association (Member)
o UWO Chaplains’ Association (Member)
Programming
King’s University College Chamber Choir
In its fourth season, the King’s University College Chamber Choir continued to make connections
with the wider London community in its role as a cultural ambassador for the College and
fundraiser for various needs of the community. The choir has had a very full season of beautiful
music-making and connecting with our community. The number of choristers was at its highest
with a steady membership of 30.
The choir performed four concerts this year, doubling the number of concerts it has performed in
the past.
The first one took place on October 24, 2013 in the Vitali Student Lounge at King’s as part of the
King’s Greenfest event in which the choir performed excerpts from Dr. Oliver Whitehead’s Mass
for All Creatures.
The second concert took place on November 30, 2013 in the Chapel at Revera’s Windermere on
the Mount, entitled “A Festival of Carols” which featured Christmas carols accompanied by brass
ensemble. $1,675.26 was raised for those affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Under
the Canadian government’s donation matching program, this means that the funds will be doubled
to $3,350.52.
The third concert took place on March 21, 2014 in the Paul Davenport Theatre as part of a
collaborative performance with The Chorale (under the direction of award-winning choral
conductor Jennifer Moir) from the Don Wright Faculty of Music. The concert, entitled, “Mosaic”
featured choral music of the Americas. They sang before a packed audience most of which had
never had any previous contact or familiarity with King’s. This was very positive on several
fronts – the choir stretched itself artistically by working with an advanced ensemble, the choir has
gained respect from members of the London music community, and the choir functioned as an
ambassador for the College to the greater community.
The fourth concert took place on April 5, 2014 in the new Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre in the
Darryl J. King Student Life Centre. The concert, entitled “Canadian Choralscapes,” featured a
vast array of Canadian choral music from coast to coast to coast, everything from First Nations
chant to moving ballads and rousing sea shanties. Despite the challenges of performing in a
space that is not conducive to acoustic concerts, the choir pulled together a wonderful
performance. The concert raised $2,000 for a scholarship fund initiated by the London
Multicultural Community Association.
In addition, the Chamber Choir sang for the Student Life Centre preview event on September 29,
2013, King’s Remembrance Day Service on November 11, 2013, and King’s University College
Convocation Mass.
Christ the King University Parish Choir
Choirs: Janet Loo trained two choirs to provide music leadership to the assemblies gathered at
the 10:30am mass (at Windermere on the Mount) and at the 5:00pm mass (at “Bessie” Labatt
Hall), aiding the assembly in its worship. The number of choristers and instrumentalists has
remained steady in both choirs – about 15-20 at the 10:30am Mass and 10-12 at the 5:00pm Mass.
Cantors: Janet Loo trained and formed two new cantors. She has continued connection with the
Sisters of St. Joseph by providing music ministers once a month to help provide music ministry
leadership at their Sunday Eucharist.
Janet has continued to assist couples in organizing their wedding liturgy with both the selection of
scripture readings, intercessions, and music. She has also recruited musicians and arranged music
for their wedding liturgies.
Youth Ministry Initiatives
Sunday Children’s Programs: The program features lessons adapted from the Church’s
liturgical calendar that are directed at children aged 4-7. Children under four require parent or
caregiver’s supervision. The program focuses on prayer space, storytelling, hands-on activities,
crafts and songs that are meant to act as springboards for learning about the Catholic faith and
values. Children in these programs were able to take up a central role in some of our liturgical
celebrations, i.e. as members of the procession on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, as a way to
encourage full, active and conscious liturgical participation. Packages with faith resources were
distributed to families at Advent and Lent and were very popular. With access to the lower level
of the chapel, the ‘Parish Hall’, there has been an increase in our numbers and an opportunity to
expand upon our regular Sunday lessons. Approximately 25 children attend the program regularly
each Sunday. However, numbers do vary depending on the Church season. For example, during
Advent and Lent these numbers can extend to approximately 30 to 50 children and their families.
The number of volunteers has also increased with the majority of whom are King’s Catholic
Studies (CS), Catholic Studies for Teachers (CST), and student teachers of Althouse.
Youth Opportunities: In order to serve the youth of our parish between the ages of 8-12, youth
opportunities have been established. These opportunities have developed collaboratively with
input from the families involved. Events continue to inspire excitement and interest and meets in
conjunction with special events in the liturgical calendar. Some of the events that took place this
year with the support of university students and parent volunteers are: Advent Party with the
Residence at the Mount, Family Nights at Budweiser Gardens watching a London Lighting
Basketball game, Feasting to Fasting Lenten Retreat, Holy Week activities such as a family
potluck prior to Stations of the Cross led by children. Approximately 20 children and youth of
the faculty, staff and parishioners attended each of these events. These gatherings and activities
focus on building a deeper sense of community, understanding of faith in our lives and service to
those in our community. In addition to these events, children who have made their First
Communion are also starting to become more involved in Mass, either as ‘Young Leaders’
volunteering in the Sunday Children’s program or in the Sunday Liturgy.
The Leadership Program: The program has been developed for youth aged 14-17. The main
focus of this program is to integrate high school students in fellowship with each other and
university volunteers, in addition to serving those in the wider community. A few opportunities
have presented themselves this past year: Fellowship nights were formed to create positive space
and activities for the high school students. These were always well attended. One service project
saw youth building relationships with the senior residents at Windermere on the Mount.
Participants connected with seniors, meeting once a month for a couple hours. The growth and
positive experience of this program continues to be recognized as Revera provides free
advertising and a monthly allowance of $25 for programming supplies.
University Volunteers: In each of these children and youth programs, university students who
volunteer their time will take part in their own faith formation. Students reflect on scripture and
what the Gospel calls us to do, develop further leadership skills and build community amongst
themselves. Monthly gatherings are facilitated by the Minister to Youth in collaboration with
Annette Donovan Panchaud for some events.
Two Hospitality/Potluck Dinners were held immediately following our Sunday Evening
Eucharistic celebrations on September 22, 2013 and March 9, 2014. We received positive
feedback from those students and members of the wider community who attended. Between
100–150 people came together for food and fellowship including students from King’s, St.
Peter’s Seminary, Brescia University College as well as members of Christ the King University
Parish.
Pastoral Counselling continued throughout the academic year at a significant and steady pace.
Counselling was provided to a total of 61 clients, with a total of almost 300 sessions, between
September 1, 2013 and May 8, 2014; comprising 33 students, 16 parishioners/members of the
community, and 12 marriage preparation couples. Four accompaniments to medical or legal
appointments were also provided by Pastoral Counselling.
Notre Dame Liturgy Symposium: In her ongoing endeavor increase and enrich their knowledge
of liturgy, Janet Loo and Annette Donovan Panchaud attended the Notre Dame Liturgy
Symposium from June 17 to 20, 2013. The symposium, the theme of which was “Beloved
Children, Imitators of God: Deification and the Sacraments of Initiation” focused on the
sacraments of initiation, explores how baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist transform us into
beloved children, imitators of God. Topics included the Trinitarian context of initiation; images
of deification in baptismal and Eucharistic prayers; initiation and art; confirmation and
deification; initiation and the sanctification of culture; and, the communion of saints. We have
since been invited to bring some King’s University College students to Notre Dame for the next
Symposium, “Liturgy as Healing”, free of charge.
National Pastoral Musicians Association National Conference: Janet Loo attended the
National Pastoral Musicians Association National Conference in Washington, D.C. from July 29-
August 2, 2013. The theme was “Participation: Liturgy, Life, Mission,” celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the Second Vatican and particularly its Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy,
Sacrosanctum Concilium. As always, what she took out of these NPM gatherings is so valuable to
her ministry: the knowledge and skills gained through plenum sessions and workshops, the
opportunity to interact and network with fellow pastoral musicians, industry representatives,
publishers, leading liturgists, and liturgical composers.
Girl Rising: Campus Ministry presented the film, “Girl Rising” in sponsorship with World
Vision on September 22, 2013. The movie depicts the plight of ten young women in the Global
South and the cultural challenges they face. It also highlights the way in which these young
women have found strength to overcome their challenges and have been empowered to make a
difference in the world. Forty-two people attended this event with half of the group having
connections with the London Health Sciences Community.
A Grief and Bereavement Workshop was provided for approximately forty participants from
parishes within the London Diocese on October 5, 2013. The workshop was facilitated by Father
Bechard, Pastoral Counsellor Melissa Page Nichols, and John Donohue of Donohue funeral home
in London. The presentation focused on what to expect from the funeral home, how to prepare
for the Mass of Resurrection and how to find support and be supportive in your grief. The
workshop was very well received and has since been requested by other Dioceses.
Catholic Update Series: Campus Ministry offered a weekly Catholic Update Series based on
Robert Baron’s series Catholicism and was facilitated by Reverend Paul Baillargeon and
Reverend Michael Béchard from October 16 to November 20, 2013 and again from January 29 to
March 19, 2014.
Advent Day of Prayer for Students: Father Mbugua William, SJ, Assistant for Vocations for
the Jesuits in English Canada lead a day of prayer on Saturday, November 30, 2013 for men and
women in the community who would like assistance in discerning how God is calling them to
serve as single persons, married persons or as priest and religious. This event was co-hosted with
Campus Ministry.
Retreat for Niagara Catholic District School Board: At the invitation of Board Chaplaincy
Leader Debra McCaffery, Janet Loo led an evening retreat for the staff and faith ambassadors of
the Niagara Catholic District School on December 10, 2013 at the Mount Carmel Spirituality
Centre in Niagara Falls.
Trivialities’ Event on January 25, 2014 in Labatt Hall, hosted by Campus Ministry in
conjunction with the Certified General Accountants of Ontario (London Chapter) was a
fundraiser for St. Joseph Hospice. Janet Loo assisted in organizing the event. The event – a fun
night of trivia – attracted nearly 150 attendees (most of whom were new to King’s) and raised
$6,832.63.
Annette Donovan Panchaud acted as Chair for the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers
Association on the Global Connections which met every two months via conference call. The
Office of Campus Ministry actively encouraged students to engage in social justice outreach in
their various communities. This year we provided a social justice opportunity for students from
across Canada in Toronto. It was named Proclaiming Justice with Integrity.
Proclaiming Justice with Integrity Experience: The intent of this weekend experience was to
expose University students to a variety of social justice opportunities in our Canadian context. It
was held during the from January 31 to February 2, 2014. Each campus was invited to send three
to four participants. Four people attended from King’s University College. In total ten campuses
from across Canada participated. Students gleaned wisdom and insight from Mary-Jo Leddy from
Romero house, heard of a variety of opportunities from Scarboro Foreign Missions, Jesuit
Volunteers of Canada, Intercordia and Development and Peace. Students were also able to get
directly involved with the Development and Peace campaign by creating and participating in
Street theatre in downtown Toronto. As a group they articulated their commitment to social
justice and learned from one another about how they can support social justice on their own
campuses.
Workshop for the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic
District School Board: At the invitation of Rebecca Brady from the Office of Faith
Development, on February 25, 2014, Janet Loo facilitated a full-day workshop on liturgical
music, liturgy of the hours, and Taizé prayer for faith ambassadors and chaplaincy leaders of the
Peterborough, Victoria, Northumerland and Clarington Catholic District School Board at the
school board offices. The board staff were most hospitable and the participants were very
inquisitive and seemed very engaged. It was an opportunity for the participants to access a
resource that may not be available to them in their region and it served as a very good opportunity
for the College make its name known.
High school Workshop: Thirty-eight students from six schools in the Huron Perth Catholic
District School Board and the London Catholic District School Board participated in a high
school workshop held on February 28, 2014. The day was facilitated by ten university students
from the Catholic Social Teaching Group, the local Development and Peace animator and
Annette Donovan Panchaud. The focus of the day was the mining campaign.
Our Lenten Retreat afternoon with Reverend Denis Grecco was held on Sunday, March 9, 2014
and focused on faith, struggle and fulfillment. For the fourth year running students from King’s
and Brescia and students and faculty from St. Peter’s Seminary and members of Christ the King
University Parish were in attendance.
Visio Divina: A reflection on both scripture and the illuminations of the St. John Illustrated
Bible. This reflection was held during lent on March 24, 2014 and focused on the depiction of the
Crucifixion. The intent of this type of scripture reflection is to meaningfully affect the
individual’s spirit through an experience of the arts (both visual arts and music). Those who
participated were deeply moved by the experience. We look forward to offering a twilight retreat
next advent focusing on the Illustration of the Nativity.
Carpe Diem: Janet Loo helped organize prayer and music for Carpe Diem Catholic Student
Leadership Conference from May 30-31, 2013. As was the case last year, some schools opted to
have their students stay overnight in the residences at King’s. Janet Loo organized an evening
prayer for those particular students. During the day programs, Janet Loo ran two workshops on
Taizé Prayer as well as lead music for morning prayer. The conference attracted nearly 600
students from various schools involved in King’s educational partnerships.
Emergency Response at Western: Campus ministry assisted several staff and students at
Western following the sudden death of a student by holding two drop-in sessions for personal and
group counseling.
Catholic Social Teaching Group: The Development and Peace Group changed its name to the
Catholic Social Teaching Group early on in the academic year. It became evident that students
were interested in learning about the Catholic Social Teaching and how that could impact their
lives rather than being a part of a Development and Peace Group. The group has since decided
that it would be more accurate to take on the name JUST Youth, which will be the name given to
youth groups (ages 14-35) established by Development and Peace.
Both Maria Sebastianpillai and Lisa Little were committed members and leaders within the
Development and Peace group at King’s during their studies here at King’s. Maria became the
South Western Ontario Youth Representative for Development and Peace. Since their graduation
in 2013 both women have moved to Toronto and continue their involvement with the National
Organization of Development and Peace. They are now co-chairs of the first ever Toronto Youth
Council for Development and Peace. Other King’s graduates, such as Erynne Gilpen (2012) have
lived in the global south and have established small faith based groups using some of the
materials that they were exposed to here at King’s in the Development and Peace group.
The group has been involved in ongoing formation using resources such as church documents, the
“Walking on Water” resource provided by Development and Peace, and questions highlighting
the relationship between social justice and the catholic faith in light of the churches seven
principles on Social Justice and scripture and along with materials from KAIROS. From this
foundation the group has facilitated a high school workshop based on Development and Peace’s
education campaign on mining, and facilitated a London Deanery Thinkfast. A solid group of
fourteen committed young adults has now been established and looks ahead to a new year as we
begin a campaign focusing on food sovereignty.
Education Campaign: Development and Peace’s education campaign focused on a mining
campaign. The students were introduced through Development and Peace materials but became
more passionate as the people behind the issues began to have a face. This was facilitated by two
students from South America joining the group in January who shared their stories and
experiences of mining in their homeland. The reality of the injustice was driven home when one
of the members of the group returned from a social justice trip to the Dominican Republic , where
she witnessed the effects of a Canadian mining company on a nearby village first hand. The
students set up a display in the King’s Student Life Centre encouraging students, faculty and staff
to become involved in the campaign by signing a postcard. They enticed five students to
participate in the Catholic Social Justice group for the remainder of the year. The Parishioners of
the parish also had the opportunity to sign postcards on the following Sunday. In total, over 300
postcards were signed and sent to Development and Peace to be presented at Parliament Hill on
May 14, 2014.
Share Lent Campaign: This year’s share lent campaign “One Human Family, Food for All” was
launched by Pope Francis for Caritas Internationalis. Information and Share lent envelopes were
distributed to the parish community. Christ the King University Parish raised $1026 in the parish
and additional $388 through Thinkfast.
Thinkfast: A program developed by Development and Peace to serve the dual purpose of
educating young people about social justice issues and raising money towards Share Lent.
Thinkfast was hosted at King’s from April 5-6, 2014. Maija Wilson worked on the formation of
the university students while Annette Donovan Panchaud worked with the adults from the
parishes, establishing connections at the deanery level, and programming. It proved to be very
positive and informative for the many adults including those who have been involved with
Thinkfast for many years. The local animator for Development and presented at the workshop on
Development and Peace. Many of the adults were not aware of the relationship between Thinkfast
and Development and Peace or that Development and Peace is a national organization mandated
by the Bishops to be the social justice arm of the Canadian Catholic Church. We look forward to
hosting the London Deanery Thinkfast again next year at King’s University College and bringing
more students to experience the King’s community and become aware of our call as Catholics to
participate in issues of justice.
St. Joseph Hospitality Centre Coffee House: King’s University College has celebrated two
years of involvement at the St. Joseph Hospitality Centre. On the second Saturday of every month
from September through to May, volunteers from the student body of King’s, Christ the King
University Parish and the larger diocesan community gathered to serve, play music, do crafts and
just talk to those less fortunate than ourselves. We have welcomed in eight departments from the
College to participate. We look forward to continuing to welcome in volunteers paying special
attention to those departments at King’s that have been unable to participate thus far.
Shoe Box Project: This year as a part of Campus Ministry’s Christmas initiative, the King's
University College community and the Christ the King University Parish were invited to fill shoe
boxes with gifts to be distributed at the Hospitality Centre Coffee House in December. Our
community responded generously with over 200 shoe boxes being received. The East London
community was extremely appreciative with many recipients being moved to tears. For many this
was the only gift they expected to receive at Christmas.
Volunteer Like a Jesuit: Grow in faith through Making a Difference: The coordinator of the
Jesuit Volunteer program of Canada engaged ten university students in a two hour session
focusing on the relationship between spirituality, education, simplicity and justice. The students
who attended were excited about how they could incorporate these four pillars in their own lives
now but also about possibilities for connecting with the formal program in the future.
Catholic Students Week: Campus Ministry celebrated Catholic Students week from February 2-
9, 2014. Students who attended the CCSA conference organized a Catholic Fair under the
leadership of Annette Donovan Panchaud. A variety of organizations were invited to set up
booths in the King’s Student Life Centre on Tuesday, February 3, from 10am – 3pm. These
organizations included Campus Ministry, St. Peter’s Seminary and Vocations Office, Jesuit
Volunteers of Canada, Scarboro Foreign Missions, Development and Peace, Save a Family Plan,
the Newman Club and the Rosary Club. The intent was to present the many facets of the Catholic
faith and show the many ways one can become involved with the Catholic faith during their time
at King’s and beyond. The representatives of these communities were delighted with the
reception they received from the King’s community and have all expressed an interest in
returning for such an event in the years to come.
Canadian Catholic Students Association Conference: The Regional Canadian Catholic
Students Association Conference was held in Montreal. Three students from King’s University
College attended. It was an excellent conference emphasizing the Catholic presence in Canada
and the foundational role Catholicism can play in education. At this regional conference Daniela
Maria Dabrowski was voted to become a national member of the Canadian Catholic Student
Association and was appointed Chair-Person of the organization. Madelaine Uliana became our
campus representative for the CCSA. Next year the National Canadian Catholic Students
Association Conference will be held in Edmonton in October.
CCCM Conference: The 2013 Canadian Catholic Campus Ministers Conference was held in
Regina at Campion College. The theme was “Nurturing the Spirit of Campus Ministry in the Year
of Faith”, featuring speakers such as Dr. Michael Duggan. The conference provided opportunities
for Campus Ministers to learn from one another, share experiences and reflect on the organization
as it continues to grow in Canada.
Mental Health and Wellness Working Group: Melissa Page Nichols has played an active role
in the Mental Health and Wellness working group, headed by Mary Carol Watters. Committee
work has included supervision, support and participation with a King’s MSW student responsible
for conducting research related to the mandate of the working group in seeking feedback from
King’s students about support services currently offered and any gaps therein.
The UWO Newman Club continues to gather weekly. Named for John Henry Cardinal Newman,
the Newman Group is a UWO sponsored club a significant number of their members being
students from King’s University College. This group has been a challenge the past two years and
is seeking more autonomy from the structure which our office has provided them in the past. The
relationship between this club and Campus Ministry continues to be evaluated.
Sacramental Preparation Workshop: Campus Ministry hosted a Diocesan wide gathering on
April 29, 2014 in the Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre for a formation workshop on sacramental
preparation. One hundred and fifty people from across the diocese attended.
Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue
Taizé Prayer: As part of Campus Ministry’s ecumenical outreach, the prayer with meditative
song and scripture in Christ the King Chapel is held on the first and third Monday of the month.
The prayer is consistently attended by students, parishioners, and people from the greater
university community and London from various Christian denominations. Members of the
L’Arche communities in London have continued to join us in prayer. The average attendance has
been steady this year at 25-30 people, as high as 40 on occasion.
Varia
Monthly visits to our parishioners who live at Windermere on the Mount Retirement Residence
continued, beginning in September 2013 through to the end of May 2014. Group activities
included the recitation of the Rosary as well as reflections on the Advent, Lenten and Easter
Seasons. Individual pastoral visitation also continues to occur with the seriously infirm.
Our parish continues to prepare for Christmas by engaging in a fundraiser to support the London
Crisis Pregnancy Centre. Campus Ministry also co-hosted a musical fashion show entitled,
“Those were the Days”, a Marion Kernighan Production at King’s Student Life Centre on April
26, 2014. Proceeds from the event went to the London Crisis Pregnancy Centre.
UWO Chaplains’ Association
Prayer for Christian Unity: On January 22, 2014, the Office of Campus Ministry hosted a
Prayer for Christian Unity Choral Evensong in ‘The Chapel’ at Revera’s Windermere on the
Mount. This was a gathering to pray for the gift of unity amongst all Christians and was led by
Rev. Michael Bechard (Roman Catholic), Rev. Karen Low (United Church), Rev. Canon William
Cliff (Anglican), Rev. John Park (Presbyterian) and Catherinanne George (Roman Catholic). The
service, whose theme was “Who does God require of us?” interwove scripture with hymns
common to the various churches. Rev. John Park delivered the sermon. This event serves as a
great opportunity to collaborate and pray with the other chaplains on campus. About 25 people
took part in this year’s service. Much needs to be done to improve promotion of this event.
Ministry to Schulich Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry- Anatomy Service for the
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry on May 11, 2013. Janet Loo assisted with organization of
the service and selecting and leading music. Once again, the service was a very moving tribute to
those who have donated their bodies in the name of furthering medical research and learning.
Labatt Hall was filled to capacity.
Promotional Materials
In an effort to increase our interaction with parishioners and students, as well as to improve our
ability to disseminate programming information, The Office of Campus Ministry created both a
Facebook fan page and a Twitter account. We currently have 326 ‘fans’ on the Facebook page
and members of the Office of Campus Ministry keep them updated with our current events, job
vacancies, available bursaries and general information about the faith (i.e. current news/events,
information on saints and blessed, etc.).
Staff and Faculty Formation
Ministry with and to the faculty continues to be the greatest challenge that we know. While their
participation in the parish's sacramental life is still low, they have become more familiar with our
work and ministry.
An ecumenical prayer service was conducted in October 21, 2013 by Melissa Page Nichols for
staff and faculty.
Two self-care retreats were offered for staff and faculty, one per semester. The retreats were very
well received in the feedback from attendees. There were eight participants in attendance at each
retreat, with different people at each one. Participants were all staff members, many of whom are
senior staff, with the exception of one faculty member.
Fall Fair: The Fall Fair is an opportunity to engage staff and faculty and their families. Led and
organized by Shaila Beaudry in Human Resources, the Minister to Youth works closely with
Shaila on the day making sure all families feel welcome.
King’s Children’s Christmas Party: This event is organized by the Social Committees of all the
Associations, collectively. The Minister to Youth takes a lead role in organizing and facilitating
the party. University Students volunteers assist in preparing the gifts and activities for the
children. This is a great opportunity for Campus Ministry to connect further with staff and
faculty, building bridges and continuing to be supportive of the people in the King’s community.
New Initiatives
We are looking at hosting a monthly coffee time following the 10:30AM mass on last Sunday of
each month in hopes to increase the sense of community among our parishioners. Annette is in
the process of developing a team of parishioners who will be responsible for this ministry. Each
volunteer will be responsible for a coffee service every three or four months. This will provide a
wonderful means of increasing interaction within our community and engaging new people in the
ministry of our church.
Come and Serve is a day that consists of connecting high school students with several service
projects throughout the city of London. Following a “hand’s on experience” in the community,
the students return to King’s campus where they have the opportunity to share a meal and to
reflect on their experiences of the day. This period of reflection includes a keynote speaker and
small group discussion. To better apply the motto ‘youth serving youth’ university students are
now taking a leadership role in planning the event themselves. For this reason the event will now
take place biannually to provide university students with a planning year; during this time Maija
Wilson’s role is to facilitate event planning, confidence building, and further faith formation
amongst the university volunteers. In addition, this event helps to build a sense of community
amongst both our high school students in the parish and King’s university students.
This academic year, 2013-2014 was a time to come together with university students once a
month to begin planning for the 2014-2015 academic year. Planning went beyond just organizing
this day event, it also included developing further opportunities for the high school students to
have nights of fellowship with one another.
Organizing Come and Serve in this way has proved to be very successful thus far. Approximately
15 university students have come together regularly, throughout the year, to plan the day. Over 20
high school students from the parish have connected with the leadership opportunities this
academic year and therefore they are preparing to take part and look forward to Come and Serve
on Friday, October 24, 2014.
First Nations Issues continue to be a priority for King’s and for our nation. Father Bechard has
become a frequent visitor with David Norton to the three reserves which border the City of
London. As part of this growing awareness and the need to introduce students to these concerns,
Father Bechard will be bringing 13 students to the Fond Du Lac Denesuline First Nation on
Lake Athabasca, northern Saskatchewan. This experiential learning trip received some
sponsorship from Porticus North America and was accompanied by a semester of preparation and
gatherings. As part of the program, our students will be required to facilitate a faith based
activity while in the north for the youth of the area and will have to write a research/reflection
paper upon their return. Father Bechard raised $30, 000 for this project.
Plans are still underway to creative a course around ecology, sustainability and nutrition through
study and an experiential learning component. The experiential component would involve the
creation of a community garden with staffing to take place cooperatively between students and
recent immigrants to the area. Conversations have been had with the London Community
Foundation and with Richard Corneil from the Institute for Catholic Formation, a proposal is
being drawn up so that we might enter the next stage to obtain the necessary grant. This is a long
term program which will require a great deal of effort and an anticipated $250 000 in start up
costs.
A workshop on vicarious resilience and responding to disclosures will be offered both in London
and in Sault St. Marie, fall of 2014 for Chaplains and Faith Ambassadors of the Catholic high
schools of both districts.
Finally, by far the greatest amounts of our energies are directed towards one-on-one pastoral
counseling, spiritual direction, or sacramental reconciliation. This reality is difficult to quantify
in such a document but it is undoubtedly central to our ministry.
A VIBRANT ACADEMIC, CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL MILIEU
Religious Life Lecture Series
The College hosts an annual lecture series which seeks to welcome and engage members of the
College, and wider community on a variety of different topics related to the various facets of the
Church’s life. The organization and facilitation of this series is the responsibility of Campus
Ministry.
This year’s series “Inspiration” brought together the following speakers:
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Reverend Stephen N. Katsouros, S.J., Ed.D.
Director
Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership – San Francisco, CA
Co-sponsored by the London District Catholic School Board
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Rabbi Burton L. Visotzky
Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies
Jewish Theological Seminary
New York, NY
Co-sponsored by the Centre for Jewish Catholic Muslim Learning
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Shelagh Rogers
Journalist and Broadcaster
Vancouver, BC
Co-sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
Thursday, November 21, 2014
Annual Christ the King Lecture
Reverend Christopher Dillon, OSB
Glenstal Abbey, Ireland
Thursday, November 27, 2013
Dr. Michael Higgins, PhD
Vice President for Mission and Catholic Identity
Sacred Hearth University
Connecticut
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Global Health
University of Toronto, ON
Co-sponsored by the Centre for Jewish Catholic Muslim Learning
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Margaret Pfeil
Assistant Professor of Theology
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Linn Maxwell
Grand Rapids, Michigan
In honour of the 60th Anniversary of the founding of King’s University College, the Religious
Life Lecture Series assumes the new name the Veritas Series for Faith and Culture. The word
“veritas” comes from the Latin word meaning “truth.” It is taken directly from the College moto
“Christus est Via, Veritas et Vita.” (Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life.)
In his Apostolic Constitution, Ex Corde Ecclesiae (1990), John Paul II, wrote “It is the honour
and responsibility of a Catholic University to consecrate itself without reserve to the cause of
truth. By means of a kind of universal humanism a Catholic University is completely dedicated to
the research of all aspects of truth in their essential connection with the supreme Truth, who is
God. It does this without fear but rather with enthusiasm, dedicating itself to every path of
knowledge, aware of being preceded by him who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
In the same document he writes, “A Catholic University, as any University, is immersed in
human society; as an extension of its service to the Church, and always within its proper
competence, it is called on to become an ever more effective instrument of cultural progress for
individuals as well as for society. Imbued among its research activities, therefore, will be a study
of serious contemporary problems in areas such as the dignity of human life, the promotion of
justice for all, the quality of personal and family life, the protection of nature, the search for peace
and political stability, a more just sharing in the world's resources, and a new economic and
political order that will better serve the human community at a national and international level.
University research will seek to discover the roots and causes of the serious problems of our time,
paying special attention to their ethical and religious dimensions. If need be, a Catholic
University must have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public
opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of society.”
Through the Veritas series, King’s endeavors to foster learning and dialogue by gathering
scholars, artists and activists who support and challenge us in living lives of faith and justice in
the 21st Century. In particular, next year’s series invites us to consider how we speak to God and
about faith across various media and in a pluralistic context.
`Next year’s series will bring together the following speakers:
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Reverend Donald Cozzens, PhD
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Kathleen Norris
Words Out of Silence: Writing as Spiritual Practice
Kathleen Norris will be reading excerpts from her work and discussing how her writing has been
influenced by Kreligious values such as humility, hospitality, and the capacity for wonder.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Joey Weisenberg
Singing Communities
Having come to cherish the imperfectly beautiful music of normal people singing together, Joey
works to empower communities around the world to unlock their musical and spiritual potential,
and to make music a lasting and joy-filled force in shul(synagogue) and in Jewish life.
Annual Christ the King Lecture
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Reverend Jan Michael Joncas
Hunting the Divine Fox: God in the Church’s Liturgical and Devotional Life Philosophers and theologians remind us of the complexity of speaking to and about God. After
examining some of the issues involved, the bulk of this presentation will explore characteristic
ways in which the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church has addressed God in liturgical and
devotional prayer.
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Dr. Ingrid Mattson
How to Tell a Beautiful Story: The Tale of Joseph in the Qur’an
In introducing the Surah (Chapter) of Joseph, the Qur’an says, “We will relate to you the most
beautiful story.” This is a story that requires the engagement of the imagination to understand
deeper meanings, which is appropriate, as it is only by employing the faithful imagination that a
believer can see himself as he truly is.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Jonathan Pageau
Sacred Symbol. Sacred Art.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Reverend Daniel P. Horan, OFM
Connecting to Faith and Spirituality in the Digital Age: A Franciscan Perspective
The Centre for Studies in Creativity
The Centre for Creativity kicked off its year’s activities on September 17th, 2013, with a
well-attended reading by the Indian playwright Mahesh Dattani. Mr. Dattani read a short
monologue that had been commissioned by the BBC, and fielded a number of questions
about creating characters, and about cross-cultural communication.
The Green Fest, organized by The Write Place in conjunction with the Centre for
Creativity, focused on the connections between the environment, philosophy and the arts.
On the opening day, October 24th, the keynote poetry-reading event by eco-poet and
philosopher Jan Zwicky was bookended by events showcasing King’s artists: the
performance of an original choral composition by Oliver Whitehead, by the King’s
University College Chamber Choir under the direction of Janet Loo; and the opening of
an art display showcasing the work of Gloria Alvernaz Mulcahy. On October 25th, a
sizeable crowd trooped through the Vitali Student Lounge, taking in displays by TREA,
Friends of the Coves, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority, KUCSC, Green
Initiatives at King’s, Thames River Rally and other green groups at and beyond King’s.
Following an intense panel discussion led by Dr. Zwicky, with participants from the
King’s Philosophy Club, there was an entertaining poetry-reading session involving
King’s Student Poets and local London poets. A dance workshop with Ruth Douthwright
moved the audience outdoors and used natural materials as props. All credit to Write
Place administrators Professor Khimasia and Professor Dorothy Nielsen for the success
of this event.
On November 19th
, the Centre organized a poetry reading by Western’s Writer-in-
Residence, M. Nourbese Philip. Ms. Philip’s audience found her talk very engaging, and
participated enthusiastically in the controlled chaos of a reading experiment in which
broken lines of poetry were read by all the individuals in the room, at the same time. This
led to an interesting discussion of the relationship between spoken word and choral
music.
There was a good deal of excitement all through the year, among the Centre’s members,
over the possibilities opened up by the new theatre in the SLC building. Michael
Tattersall kindly gave the members a tour of the theatre in early February, when it was
nearly finished. The Kenny Theatre was used by the Centre for the first time for a staged
reading of Choose, But Choose Wisely, a play by London playwright, actor and
dramaturge Jeff Culbert, on February 25th,
2014. Board member James Reaney was
instrumental in getting Mr. Culbert interested in this opportunity. Mr. Culbert
workshopped the play with King’s students, leading up to this staging. The play revisited
the history of the War of 1812, from the point of view of people living in and around the
London area, and the question session after the reading reflected the audience’s interest in
the details of this history. This has led the Centre to discuss and approve a plan to bring a
full-scale professional production of the play to the Kenny Theatre next September.
On March 10th
, thanks to the efforts of Creativity Board member Catherine Elliot Shaw,
members and friends of the Centre were invited to a guided tour of “Storms and Bright
Skies: Three Centuries of Dutch Landscapes,” the McIntosh Gallery’s exhibit of the year.
The rare opportunity to see works on paper from the late 16th
century to the early 20th
, at
its only Ontario venue, was greatly appreciated by the Centre’s guests.
The Centre’s events and activities for the year closed with an event on April 4th
, titled
“Building Bridges: Conversations About and Through Dance,” in which three dancers
(Ruth Douthwright, Vidya Natarajan, Lacey Smith) discussed their dance styles and
presented three solo dance pieces. The opening conversation with Catherine Elliot Shaw
helped frame the relatively unfamiliar aesthetics of contemporary dance and
bharatanatyam in terms that made sense to the audience. The event was very well-
attended, by King’s people and the London community alike.
A brochure for the Centre, in line with the other brochures for academic Departments at
King’s, is the last item on this year’s agenda. The Centre’s plans for next year include a
full-scale staging of Choose, But Choose Wisely using London Fringe actors; a poetry
reading/open mic session; a large-scale event that incorporates many types of art, and a
music/dance event featuring the Gamelan player Noor Intan.
The Centre for Jewish-Catholic-Muslim Learning
Financial Report
The operating budget for the CJCML was $6500.00, with $6499.51 being spent to date.
Events 2013-2014
Within King’s
o Donations from members of the CJCML, with the support of Dr. Hassan
Moustafa and Robbie Osman, facilitated the move and reconstruction of the
Muslim Prayer Room at the east end of the cafeteria. The space is very well used
and has fostered good will with the Muslim student community.
Abrahamic Roadtrip
o In past years, the CJCML has facilitated a trip to various places of worship in the
city where students and other interested people were invited to engage religious
leaders on a predetermined topic. Representatives from the King’s University
College Students Council volunteered to plan and facilitate this gathering. For a
variety of reasons, this event did not take place.
In The Community
o On Thursday, March 20, 2014, Father Michael Bechard, Rabbi Deborah Dressler
and Iman Abd Alfatah Twakkal, gathered with representatives from the three faith
communities at St. John the Divine, Roman Catholic Church. The discussion
focused on the similar prayers and liturgical rhythms in the different communities
and practical guidelines for engaging in “grass roots dialogue.” The presentation
was offered in front of a packed church, to a very receptive audience.
o Father Michael Bechard did a presentation to the students from what is
affectionately called “Hebrew High.” Those gathered were given the basic tennets
of the Christian faith, models for worship and other areas of concern for the
young people.
o This year, the imams at both of the suni mosques moved and new leadership was
introduced. A considerable amount of time was spent “building relationships”
with the leadership of the mosques and synagogues.
In conjunction with the Office of Campus Ministry’s Religious Life Lecture Series, the
following speakers were welcomed to King’s:
o Rabbi Burton L. Visotzy (October 3, 2013)
o Burton Visotzky serves as Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious
Studies and the Louis Stein Director of the Finkelstein Institute for Religious and
Social Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, charged with programs on
public policy. Professor Visotzky holds degrees from the University of Illinois at
Chicago, Harvard University, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Visotzky has
been visiting faculty at Oxford; Cambridge; Princeton, the Russian State
University of the Humanities in Moscow; and served as the Master Visiting
Professor of Jewish Studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He is
teaching at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome in Spring,
2014.
o FROM CAIRO TO QATAR, OMAN AND BEYOND: RECENT
DEVELOPMENTS IN JEWISH-MUSLIM ENGAGEMENT. This lecture
touched on Jewish-Muslim engagement on the local, national, and international
scene. He surveyed where we have come since 9/11 and offered some assessment
for the future of Jewish-Muslim cooperation. The tone of the lecture was very
positive. While not shying away from the many areas of crisis and suffering in the
Middle East, Rabbi Visotzky focused on how members of these two faiths are
working together to foster peace and security. Rabbi Visotzky was recommended
by Rabbi Catherine Clarke of the CJCML. As the Student Life Centre was not
complete, the lecture, attended by over 100 people, was held in The Chapel at
Windermere on the Mount.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH (January 16, 2014)
o Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, MD, MPH, is a Palestinian medical doctor who was born
and raised in Jabalia Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. He is a passionate and
eloquent proponent of peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and has dedicated
his life to using health as a vehicle for peace. He has received numerous awards
including the Stavros Niarchos Prize for Survivorship, and was the first recipient
of the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize.
o MOVING FORWARD FROM FORGIVENESS TO COMPASSION. Tragically,
on January 16th, 2009 Dr. Abuelaish lost three of his daughters and a niece when
Israeli tank shells shattered his house in the Jabalia camp. In the face of this
horrific personal tragedy, he has continued to advocate for peace and harmonious
coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis. This lecture addressed the universal
language of hope and compassion; qualities desperately needed in order to restore
the world’s sense of harmony and connectedness. Dr. Abuelaish was
recommended by Dr. Hassan Moustafa of the CJCML. This was the first lecture
to take place in the Kenney Theatre. There were over 400 people in attendance.
2014-2015 LECTURES
o Joey Weisenberg (October 2, 2014)
o Joey Weisenberg is the Creative Director of the recently-founded Hadar Center
for Communal Jewish Music, and is the author of Building Singing Communities.
He’s a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer and composer based in New York
City, who has performed and recorded internationally with dozens of bands in a
wide variety of musical styles. Joey works as the Music Director and Ba’al Tfilah
(prayer leader) at Brooklyn’s oldest synagogue, the Kane Street Synagogue. Joey
visits shuls and communities around the country as a “musician-in-residence”, in
which he teaches his popular ‘Spontaneous Jewish Choir’ workshops. His
nigunim have become popular worldwide.
Dr. Ingrid Mattson (January 22, 2015)
o Dr. Ingrid Mattson is the London and Windsor Community Chair in Islamic
Studies at Huron University College at Western University in London, Canada.
Formerly, she was professor of Islamic Studies, founder of the Islamic Chaplaincy
Program and director of the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-
Muslim Relations at Hartfod Seminary in Hartford, CT. She earned her Ph.D. in
Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999. She is the author of The
Story of the Qur’on: Its History and Place in Muslim Life, As well as numerous
articles exploring the relationship between Islamic law and society, gender and
leadership issues in contemporary Muslim communities. From 2006-2010 Dr.
Mattson served as President of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA); she
previously served two terms as Vice-President. Dr. Mattson was born in Canada,
where she studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. ’87).
From 1987-1988 she lived in Pakistan where she developed and implemented a
midwife-training program for Afghan refugee women. Dr. Mattson is frequently
consulted by media, government and civic organizations and has served as an
expert witness.
The Centre for Social Concern
Budget for the year 2013/2014 was $6,000. Activities of the Centre are ongoing.
Approximately, $2500 has been committed.
The following were the activities of the Centre during this academic year: o September 24, 2013: Appearance of Larry Towell at Conron Hall, co-sponsored with
Josh Lambier, Director Public Humanities at Western
o November 15, 16, 17, 2013 : Co-sponsored Latin American Canadian Solidarity
Association (LACASA) film festival.
o November 28, 2013 Screening of the documentary “Defensora” - a documentary about a
Mayan Q'eqchi' resistance against mining in Guatemala.
o March 24, 2013: Beehive Collective at King’s. The Beehive is an all-volunteer, activist
art collective dedicated to “cross-pollinating the grassroots” by creating collaborative,
anti-copyright images for use as educational and organizing tools. Co-sponsored with the
SJP club.
o The Centre also purchased a 3-meter x 7-meter intricately designed banner that took the
collective 9 years to complete. Entitled “MesoAmerica Resiste”, the banner constitutes a
trilogy about globalization in the Americas. It will be used on a regular basis to display
at King’s and in high schools as an educational and recruitment tool emphasizing social
justice commitment and activities at King’.
The School of Social Work
The School of Social Work sponsored a variety of conferences, workshops and guest lectures during
2013-14
Social Work Week
The School of Social Work celebrated Social Work Week with a number of events directed
toward the theme Social Workers: Champions of Positive Change.
Other events
Professional Development Day – Friday, February 28. 2014.
o Talk with Me: Communication at End of Life Study - Dr. Laura Lewis, Dr. Eunice
Gorman and Andrew Feron, MSW, RSW o Ethics and Social Work Practice: The Case of Baby M - Dr. Andrew Mantulak
and Robert Sibbald, BA
Exploring Honour Based Violence
o A workshop style presentation to explore issues surrounding the concept of honour based
violence, where it comes from, what resources are available, and how social workers are
involved.
Canada’s Prostitution Laws Ruled Unconstitutional by Supreme Court: Implications for Social
Service Provision in the Forest City Moving Forward
o Recently, the Supreme Court struck down Canada’s prostitution laws as unconstitutional
and granted Parliament one year in which to develop a new legal regime to govern the
sex trade. The Supreme Court’s decision made it quite clear that the current approach is
not protecting extremely vulnerable women and sex workers within our community. This
moderated panel presentation highlighted the importance in our profession of
understanding current social issues and social policies that impact the lives of our clients,
and the broader community, each day.
PARTNERSHIPS IN LEARNING
Through the Office of the Registrar, the College organized a variety of workshops,
lecture series and programs for the Catholic Boards of Education in the Diocese of
London and beyond.
Some 600 Grade 11 and 12 high school students attended “Carpe Diem”: Seize
the Day Catholic Student Leadership Conference. “We are the Difference,” May
29-31, 2013. The students engaged in workshops on the following subjects:
o Global Citizenship..... Our Responsibility
o Positive Gear
o What is Fair Trade and Why Does It Matter? “Bleeping” School!
o Taizé Prayer
o Guided Meditation Workshop
o You “R” Somebody
o Because I am a Girl
o Stephen Lewis “Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign”
o St. Anne’s Mission Trip
King’s University College Model United Nations (KMUN) has brought the best
and brightest high school students to campus to debate international political
issues. The conference has been a collaborative effort between the Registrar’s
Office, the Model UN Club at UWO, several faculty members, and the invaluable
leadership of Dr. Erin Hannah.
“Teachers as Scholars at King’s” (TASK), a program of discussion groups for
Catholic teachers led by King’s faculty, was presented throughout the year. The
philosophical underpinning of TASK is that intellectual leaders inspire and
transform all educators across grade levels and disciplines.
o Dr. Brian Patton, Comics and the End of the American Consensus
o Dr. Susan Small, The Medieval Werewolf: Fact or Fiction
o Dr. Carolyn Chau, Rethinking Secularism: Catholic Identity in a Secular
Age
o Dr. Glen Copplestone, The A, B and Cs of Finance: Making Sense of
Economics
o Dr. Hunter Brown, A Puzzling Thing about Jesus
o Dr. Pamela Cushing, Representations of Disability in Photography and
Freak Shows
o Dr. Alison Meek, Racists, Skinheads and Modern America
o Dr. Peter Ibbott, The Chinese Miracle
Our vibrant Catholic educational partnership group has expanded enormously to
30 members including the leading Catholic educational organizations. King’s
attends every Catholic educational conference in the province and many national
events and is now seen as a highly-regarded resource and a well-liked and
respected leader in Catholic education. Our new terms of reference have brought
some structure and consensus to our partnership.
The CPCO and OCSOA courses were hosted at King’s in the summer of 2013.
INTERNATIONALIZATION
The internationalization program at King’s continues to flourish and expand. King’s is
now a leader in promoting internationalization both at Western and on the national scene.
Exchange Program
Total Number of International Degree Students attending King’s 2013-2014: 390
Total Number of exchange students at King's 2013-2014: 38
Total Number of exchange and international students: 428
Total Number of partner universities sending students to King’s 2013-2014: 18
Total Number of 2+2 degree students (CTBU and DUFE): 82
Emerging Leaders of the Americas Program (ELAP)
o Through CBIE - Nominated 8 students of which 7 students won awards; ELAP results
report submitted to CBIE
King’s students engaged in outgoing exchange through various academic disciplines including
Social Justice and Peace Studies, Social Work, Economics, Business and Math, and Modern
Languages (French). Some students also engaged in international study through Western’s
Exchange Program or through intercultural learning organizations such as Intercordia.
Outgoing Academic Exchange
One hundred and fifty-seven (157) King’s students participated in outgoing Exchange or
Experiential Learning Programs in 2013-2014.
Outgoing Academic Exchange 2013-2014
France 18
Korea 2
UK 3
Spain 1
Australia 3
India (SJPS) 11
India (Social Work) 13
Ghana 4
Dominican Republic 12
Honduras 3
Ecuador 1
Ukraine 2
Rwanda 4
Sweden 9
Guatemala 9
India 1
Kenya 1
Victoria, BC 2
Eastern Europe 2
Italy 13
Ethiopia 20
Bosnia 1
China 6
Pine Channel Trip, Saskatchewan 16
Total 157
Twenty (20) students participated in individual outgoing Exchange programs during 2013 – 2014.
Individual Academic Exchange 2013 – 2014
France 5
Korea 2
UK 3
Spain 1
Australia 3
India 1
Kenya 1
Victoria, BC 2
Eastern Europe 2
Total 20
Outgoing Experiential Learning and Academic Exchange
One hundred and thirty seven (137) students participated in group organized experiential learning
or academic exchange during 2013-2014. Experiential Learning opportunities were available
through: Intercordia; Social Justice and Peace Studies (Dominican Republic, Guatemala, India);
Childhood and Social Institutions (Sweden); Social Work (India, China); Philosophy and
Religious Studies (Rome); Campus Ministry (Northern Saskatchewan); Political Science
(Ethiopia); and Management and Organizational Studies (France).
Linda Weber met with the Faculty leaders prior to the trip and also led a pre-departure Safety and
Risk Management session for each Group prior to each trip departure. Acknowledgement and
Assumption of Risk forms and Health Forms were collected from each student prior to departure.
Students’ International Study Awards were approved and sent to the King’s Student Finance
Office for processing. This year Lynda Bogart, from Ellison Travel, also met with Linda Weber
and the pre-departure groups and presented relevant information related to Travel insurance and
Ellison’s services.
Groups 2013 – 2014
France (BMOS) 13
India (SJPS) 11
India (Social Work) 13
Ghana 4
Dominican Republic 12
Honduras 3
Ecuador 1
Ukraine 2
Rwanda 4
Sweden (CSI) 9
Guatemala 9
Italy 13
Ethiopia 20
Bosnia 1
China 6
Pine Channel Trip 16
Total 137
Exchange opportunities were promoted through formal information session, staffed displays and in-class
presentations
King’s International Events 2013-2014
International Bridging Week- August 27th to September 1st, 2013
o Orientation for international and exchange students new to King’s; 100 participants
Welcome Reception- September 12th, 2013
o Meet Staff and Peer Guides in Vitali Student Lounge; 100 participants - International
students, Peer Guides and student staff, faculty and staff
Toronto trip – September 14th, 2013
o Tour the city of Toronto in the afternoon; Medieval Times Dinner and Entertainment in
the evening.
o 80 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Homecoming Football Game- 1:00-3:00pm - September 28th, 2013
o Western vs. Queens – Homecoming Football game; 30 participants - International
students, Peer Guides and student staff
Stratford Trip- The Three Musketeers- October 6th, 2013
o 60 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Thanksgiving Dinner and Celebration-October 10th, 2013
o 100 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff, faculty and staff
Halloween Party- October 31st, 2013
o 60 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Hockey Night- Western Mustangs - November 9th, 2013
o 30 participants -International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Global Learning Forum
o Student and faculty presentations about experiential learning trips and study abroad, info
displays
o 50 participants - International students, domestic students, student staff, faculty and staff
Christmas & End of the Year Party - Dec 6th, 2013
o 80 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Welcome Back Social - January 10th, 2014
o 60 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Tobogganing and Hot Chocolate Event- Jan 18th, 2014
o 30 participants -International students, Peer Guides and student staff
NBA Game/Toronto Trip-January 25th, 2014
o 80 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Year of the horse/Lunar New Year Dinner & Celebration - January 31st, 2014
o 120 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff, faculty and staff
Cultural Festival - February 6th, 2014
o 300 participants - International students, domestic students, student staff, faculty and staff
International PotLuck Dinner - March 7th, 2014
40 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
o Sugar Bush Tour- March 14th, 2014
o 60 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff
Farewell Party- April 5th, 2014
o 130 participants - International students, Peer Guides and student staff, faculty and staff
Changes and New Initiatives:
NAFSA 2013
o Created a Flash drive with updated King’s information prepared for NAFSA 2013,
includes a one page summary especially developed for prospective NAFSA partners
International Student Welcome Day City of London event, December 2014
o Participated in planning meetings and made contributions on behalf of King’s, many of
which have been implemented by the committee.
o Developed a one pager about King’s international programs for media
o Collaborated with London Free Press on submitting King’s international student profiles
for inclusion into the newspaper
Launched a new event as part of Western’s International Week: Global Learning Forum
o Student and faculty presentations from across Western about experiential learning trips
and study abroad, info booths
Moved to new location for International Office; rebranded as King’s International
Student employment at King’s International
o 9 work-study and IWE students to organize 12-15 large scale events annually
o 9 work-study and IWE students at front desk
o Student employees developed a Front Desk Manual
o Student employees developed project plans for each event--2 student employees to be in
charge of each event
o Student employees represented International Office at info displays/events
o Student employees facilitated focus groups with prospective peer guides
o Held weekly meetings
Cultural Festival 2014
o Engaged up to 100 performers and speakers as well as 30 volunteers
o Concurrent International Opportunities Fair, 20 staffed displays
o Student led event coordinated by the International Office student employees
o The Festival draws up to 300 guests from across Western and London communities
thanks to the promotion by King’s International Office volunteers, International Offices
across Western, as well as city wide advertising and media coverage.
o Cultural Festival video
Publications
o Collaborated with King’s Communications on the new look and content for all office
publications.
o New publication: International Student Welcome postcard
Social media
o Launched a new King’s International Office Twitter account
o King’s International Facebook page
King’s International Facebook page launched two years ago now reaches up to 2,500 people and
has become a bridge between the current King’s students, international and Canadian alumni of
King’s international programs, incoming international and exchange students as well as families
and friends of all members from around the world.
Career Counselling Group Sessions for International Students
o Led by: Susan Ackland and Linda Weber
o Nine students from King’s and Western joined 5 career counselling sessions from 12:30 –
2:30 pm on January 29, February 5, 12, 26, and March 19th.
o Susan and Linda also attended the Student 2 Business Networking Conference at the
London Convention Centre on March 5, 2014. The Keynote address was presented by
Steve Dalton, author of the 2 Hour Job Search.
Student Assistance Recruitment
o Recruited 36 peer guides and 12 Bridging Assistants, as well as 2 airport reception
coordinators
Academic Support
o Registered all exchange students in term 1 and 2 courses
o Meeting with King’s Academic Counsellors and Western Exchange Office, March 26
Farewell Luncheon
o The Farewell Luncheon and CTBU and DUFE graduation dinner were combined into one
event this year. The Alumni Office spoke and presented gifts.
Canada’s International Student Program Discussion and Implementation
o Monitored immigration changes on the CBIE list serv.
Partnership Development
Regina represented King’s at NAFSA 2013 Expo Hall, Canada booth
As a result of NAFSA 2013 participation:
Dual degree agreement with Geneva School of Business is being discussed.
Student and staff exchange agreement with Richmond University in the UK was signed. Dual degree
agreement is being discussed.
Agreement with Leibniz Universität Hannover (LUH), Germany was signed
Nanyang Polytechnic delegation visited King’s, June 2013
New agreements:
Agreement with University of Notre Dame, Australia
Associacao Nacional De Educacao Catolica Do Brasil (ANEC) , Brazil
Pontifical University De Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil
Pontificia Universidade Catolica De Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, China
THE KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL
The Executive Committee of KUCSC; Andrea Jolliffe, KUCSC General Manager; Jeff Major,
King’s CFO; Doreen Vautour, (in her capacity as Campus Activities Coordinator); the Dean of
Students and Matt Quin/Jane Antoniak, Manager of Communications assist KUCSC in
management of the many and varied services and activities provided to King’s students through
KUCSC. The positive, collaborative relationship between the KUCSC and the College continues
to be one of the major contributing factors to the quality of the campus experience of King’s
students.
Under the direction of the KUCSC General Manager, Andrea Jolliffe, the consolidated financial
management system was completed. Due to the size and scope of KUCSC operations and budget,
an accountant’s services were engaged and the practice of an annual audit (begun in 2011)
continues.
The Orientation Week (coordinated through USC) and KUCSC activities and special events were
well planned and implemented during 2013-14. The guest speaker series and full complement of
club events and activities filled the KUCSC calendar. Student participation varied considerably
by event.
The delayed opening of the King Centre was a disappointment to Council and resulted in
deficient office space for the executive and staff from August-December, in retail operation
challenges and space/location challenges for Council and Clubs events. The delay in finishing the
Kenny Theatre created some additional concerns pertaining to access and user policies.
Improvements to the KUCSC web site and communications are needed and continue to be
realized through a strong, continuing relationship built with King’s ITS, King’s Manager of
Communications and the efforts of the KUCSC Communications Coordinator (in its third year as
an executive position). Delays were experienced due to the resignation of the Communications
Coordinator in the Fall Term and the selection of a replacement.
Due to challenges to election procedures during 2014, KUCSC has implemented the position of
Governance Officer, to review documents and procedures for Council and recommend
changes/additions.
The many facilities in the King Centre are appreciated by KUCSC and students report high
satisfaction with the building. As “housekeeping” challenges arise, they have been well addressed
by Chris McNeil (Facilities Manager) and Andrea Jolliffe (General Manager, KUCSC).
A CULTURE OF SERVICE
Academic Counseling Services
The service to students provided by the Academic Counseling team of the Office of the Academic
Dean continued at a high volume both for general academic counseling and for specific requests
such as academic accommodation, special examinations and letters of permission. Despite the
heavy workload, the level of student satisfaction with the quality and professionalism of all staff
in the Academic Dean’s Office and departmental units remains high. In short, the College is
blessed with a highly skilled staff well versed in all dimensions of academic counseling support.
Academic Counselor Activity
Contacts 2007-
2008
2008-
2009
2009-
2010
2010-
2011
2011-
2012
2012-
2013
2013-
2014
Drop in Appts 2653 3558 4084 3479 4885 4603 4300
Appointments 854 839 947 971 1276 1417 1813
Medical Memos 499 458 819 617 724 838 608
Special Exams
and Incompletes
307 251 373 348 277 279 327
Other 93 NA NA 135 68 99 61
Total Contacts 4481 5106 6223 5550 7230 7236 7109
Personal Counselling
During 2013-2014, 232 students received individual personal counselling. This total represents an
increase over the previous year. Some King’s students were seen for counselling at Western’s
Student Development Centre (Western’s total is unavailable). Statistical reports are maintained
annually recording the number of student users, counsellor appointments, cancellations and “no
show” appointments.
The presenting issues of students seeking counselling continue to be serious, multiple and
complex, requiring and utilizing more time and expertise. Complex and long-term counselling
commitments are managed through community referral as appropriate and possible.
The major issues facing students seeking counselling included trauma, anxiety, grief and
bereavement, depression, relationship issues (violence), and issues faced by International
Students. Due to having 2 M.Ed. interns (full year) waiting lists were minimal and only at peak
periods of the academic year. Crisis or emergency counselling was available daily.
Service user totals have remained reasonably consistent for the past 10 years in spite of the
increased size of the student body. This is partially explained by the fact that SSD identified
students with a diagnosed psychiatric disability are counted in SSD statistics (95 students in
2013-14) and do not appear in personal counselling statistics. (See SSD report below.)
Personal Counselling Usage: Total Students by Year
Year # of Students
2013-14 232
2012-13 213
2011-12 231
2010-11 179
2009-10 191
2008-09 177
2007-08 179
2006-07 236
2005-06 204
2004-05 156
Student Counselling Usage by Year of Enrolment
Year 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
1 35 32 36 51 47 50
2 54 47 39 47 44 53
3 49 57 42 60 58 61
4 39 50 58 62 49 59
Other
(special student,
recent grad--
transition/referral)
1 5 4 11 13 9
User trends remain relatively constant, however an increase in usage by International students is
significant.
Personal Counselling Usage Demographics
Year
# of
Students
Male
Female
Under
25
Over
25
FT PT Alum
(transitional)
Int.
1st
Nations
Social
Work
1st
Gen.
13-14 232
63
(27.2%)
169
(72.8%)
183
(78.9%)
49
(21.1%)
193
(83.2%)
30
(12.9%)
9
(3.9%)
14
(6.0%)
6
(2.6%)
22
(9.5%)
23
(9.9%)
12-13 213
60
(28.6%)
153
(71.8%)
165
(77.46%)
48
(22.5%)
177
(83.9%)
23
(10.8%)
13
(6.1%)
5
(2.3%)
3
(1.4%)
10
(4.7%)
31
(14.5%)
11-12 231 45
(19.5%)
186
(80.5%)
168
(72.7%)
63
(27.3%)
190
(82%)
30
(13%) 11 (4.76%)
8
(3.46%)
1
(.43%)
23
(10%)
30
(13%)
10-11 179 43
(24%)
136
(76%)
127
(71%)
52
(29%)
146
(84.4%)
29
(16.2%) 4 (22.3%)
7
(3.9%)
5
(2.8%)
15
(8.4%)
24
(13.4%)
09-10 191 37
(19.4%)
154
(80.6%)
144
(75.4%)
47
(24.6%)
163
(85.3%)
22
(11.5%) 5 (2.6%)
7
(3.6%)
4
(2.1%)
9
(4.7%)
19
(10%)
08-09
177
37
(21%)
140
(79%)
131
(74%)
46
(26%)
153
(76.2%)
23
(13%) 1 (.56%)
9
(5%)
4
(2.25%)
10
(5.6%)
17
(9.6%)
Counsellors provided training to the Residence Assistants, offered a Mindfulness Group on
Wednesday afternoons during the Winter Term and participated in the planning and delivery of
mental health outreach programs.
Academic counsellors and members of faculty continue to be the major referral source for
students seeking personal counselling assistance.
Services for Students with Disabilities
Continuing the trend of annual increases in the number of students requiring academic
accommodation for disabilities, 373 students registered at King’s requested academic
accommodation—an increase (4%) over the prior year. Following years of rapid increase (2004-
05 to 2010-11) in the number of students registered with SSD, the last three years (2010-11 to
2012-13) show slight growth in the number of students requesting SSD services. In addition, 107
students registered at Western required course accommodation at King’s.
King’s University
College SSD
03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14
Vision 4 3 6 6 6 3 5 6 5 4 4
Hearing 2 4 5 2 4 5 7 8 13 9 9
Mobility/Functional 0 0 6 23 29 34 48 56 56 33 27
Learning Disability 35 30 46 61 69 67 67 78 79 89 110
Attention Deficit
Disorder
22 25 39 39 33 33 43 50 59 64 44
Acquired Brain Injury 6 1 3 8 10 7 11 10 12 10 12
Psychiatric Disability 10 15 15 25 36 39 55 77 79 77 95
Chronic Medical 25 35 25 9 14 14 17 33 32 31 28
Multiple Disabilities 16 8 14 8 9 10 5 6 0 9 6
Temporary Disability** 17 5 8 5 5 5 0 0 0 16 18
Unconfirmed Disability/
Screening*
17 28 7 15 7 11 10 11 13 16 20
Total 154 154 174 201 222 228 268 335 348 358 373
*Students in the “unconfirmed disability” category did not receive academic accommodations
**2009-10-2011-12 “Temporary Disability” students were allocated to the appropriate Ministry classifications; in 2012-13 the general
temporary category was reinstated (Ministry reporting).
Western University Students with Disabilities Requiring Academic Accommodations
00-
01
01-
02
02-
03
03-
04
04-
05
05-
06
06-
07
07-
08
08-
09
09-
10
10-
11
11-
12
12-
13
13-
14
Western Students
(one or more courses)
19 33 34 34 49 37 54 64
N/
A*
*
72 89 98 92 107
**The number of Western students requiring academic accommodations at King’s is not available as a result of restrictions with the database.
Services for Students with Disabilities Usage Demographics
# of
Student
s
Male Female
Under
25
Over
25
FT PT
Other
(Specia
l Student
,
Alumni)
Int.
1st
Nation
s
1st
Gen.
2013
-14 373
130
(34.9%
)
243
(65.1%
)
260
(69.7%
)
113
(30.3%
)
274
(73.5%
)
89
(23.9%
)
10
(2.7%)
4
(1.1%
)
8
(2.1%)
73
(19.6%
)
2012
-13 358
130
(36.3%
)
228
(63.7%
240
(67%)
116
(32.4%
)
248
(69.3%
)
78
(21.8%
)
30
(8.4%)
4
(1.1%
)
4
(1.1%)
43
(12%)
2011
-12 348
112
(32%)
236
(68%)
220
(63%)
128
(37%)
246
(71%)
76
(22%)
26
(7.5%)
3
(1%)
6
(2%)
28
(8%)
2010
-11
335
128
(38%)
207
(62%)
211
(63%)
124
(37%)
242
(72%)
82
(25%)
11
(3.3%)
3
(1%)
6
(2%)
9
(3%)
2009
-10
268
90
(33.6%
)
178
(66.4%
)
166
(62%)
102
(38%)
194
(72.4%
)
61
(23%)
13
(5%)
2
(.75%
)
6
(2.2%)
6
(2.2%)
2008
-09
228
73
(32%)
155
(68%)
145
(65%)
83
(36.4%
)
158
(69%)
68
(30%)
2
(.87%)
2
(.87%
)
1
(.44%)
4
(1.75%
)
2007
-08
222
77
(35%)
145
(65%)
150
(67.5)
72
(32.4%
)
152
(68.5%
)
70
(31.5%
)
na
na
na
na
2006
-07
201
74
(37%)
127
(63%)
144
(71.4%
)
57
(28%)
153
(76%)
48
24%)
na
na
na
na
# of SSD Students/Year in Program
Year in Program 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-2012 2012-13 2013-14
1 47 54 85 74 91 105
2 74 63 90 96 75 85
3 59 80 63 60 79 90
4 46 58 86 92 77 83
Other:
Special Student,
Alumni (transition)
2 13 11 26 30 10
Students with learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
continue to be the largest groups requiring accommodation. Twenty-five (15) students were
referred for a psycho-educational assessment with twenty-one (14) assessments completed. This
is compared to thirty-four (25) referred for a psycho-educational assessment with twenty-nine
(21) assessments completed in 2012-13.
Test and Examination Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
The number of accommodated tests and exams decreased in 2013-14.
02-
03
03-
04
04-
05
05-
06
06-
07
07-
08
08-
09
09-
10
10-
11
11-
12
12-
13
13-
14
Summer 23 39 103 60 80 92 87 136 111 133 135 91
Fall
Term 231 232 292 307 299 307 399 393 430 490 531 550
Dec
Exams 126 120 159 159 222 243 236 241 356 315 405 409
Winter
Term 199 221 244 263 254 314 376 413 431 538 499 446
Final
Exams 288 301 332 360 402 455 468 438 552 622 598 588
Total 867 913 1130 1149 1257 1411 1566 1621 1880 2098 2186 2084
Alternate to Print Course Material Prepared for Students with Disabilities 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14
Total Students Referred for
ATP Service
56 90 133 89 95
Total Students Using Service 11 17 26 28 32 44 35 58 52 86 116 83 99
Book Orders Placed 72 89 279 205 261 227 255 306 359 496 1074 931 1006
Books Received From
WRMS, RFB&D, CNIB
35 48 210 177 93 34 2 4 3 0 12 0 0
Books Recorded In-House 1 34 22 8 1 This service no longer applicable
Books Transcribed In-House
(formerly King’s e-text library)
n/a n/a 6 18 12 1 42 128 45* 223 369 136 0
Books Scanned n/a n/a n/a 2 33 134 109 79
*Included in transcribed
“in-house”
n/a
52
CD’s or E-Text Files Received
From Publishers
(includes UWO course packs)
n/a
n/a
n/a
9
54
34
73
63
271
262
693
683
274
Free On-line Book Files Received n/a n/a n/a n/a 37 6 22 6 5 11 0 12 2
Total Students Trained on
Assistive Technology
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
22
3
15
4
38
43
n/a
n/a
n/a
Average # of Hours per Week
Access Labs in Use
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
90
83
33
42
36
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Total # of Students Using
Access Labs
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
63
76
76
73
62
n/a
n/a
n/a
25
The time to convert inaccessible documents to accessible documents was comparable to the prior
year. A contract employee was hired to assist with the transcription process from mid-July to the
end of January for both years.
Assistive Technology
Software Training by King’s Assistive Technology Support Specialist
Software 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
One Note 13 13 14
Dragon Naturally Speaking 14 45 36
Kurzweil 3000 24 41 40
Inspiration 4 39 18
Scientific Notebook 1 0 0
Zoom Text 0 0 0
Jaws 0 0 2
LiveScribe Smart Pen n/a 3 6
CCTV 8
Kurzweil 3000 Alternatives 8
Ninety-seven (97) students were seen for assistive technology assistance and forty-two (42)
BSWD technology hardware and software quotes were completed.
Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD)
During 2013-2014, seventy-two (72) King’s students applied and received funding in the amount
of $140,326.20 through the Bursaries for Students with Disability program (BSWD). All receipts
for the BSWD program are submitted to the Office of the Dean of Students at King’s and
forwarded to Western University Financial Services for reconciliation.
Year # of Students BSWD Funds Received
2013-2014 72 $140,326.20
2012-13 84 $226,362.50
2011-12 83 $222,133
2010-11 73 $199,620
2009-10 74 $204,969
2008-09 63 $154,402
2007-08 48 $134,996
2006-07 44 $172,587
2005-06 50 $202,232
2004-05 42 $132,391
Notetaking and SSD Proctors
Notetakers were arranged for fifty-two (52) students in one hundred and forty-four (144) courses.
For eight (8) of the fifty-two (52) students, which accounted for forty-five (45) courses, the
notetakers were Ministry funded and were arranged through SSD-Western. The other notetakers
were funded from bursaries, the work study programme and the Office of the Dean of Students
budget. There were forty-six (46) volunteer notetakers. For twenty-nine (29) courses more than
one (1) student benefitted from the assigned notetaker.
Year
# of
Students
# of
Courses
MTCU Funded
(through Western University SSD)
Volunteer
Notetakers Students Courses
2013-2014 52 144 8 45 46
2012-2013 51 105 4 21 48
2011-2012 47 105 7 32 36
2010-2011 37 85 4 31 37
2009-2010 27 73 3 27 n/a
2008-2009 19 43 3 12 n/a
2007-2008 19 43 3 17 n/a
2006-2007 16 41 4 22 n/a
All SSD Proctors are hired, trained and paid by Examination Services at Western (value to King’s
of approximately $30,000). Additional training and orientation specific to King’s is conducted at
King’s.
Western continues to provide financial support for Senior Proctors (coordinating position) during
the academic year in addition to all Proctors’ hours. A small number of Proctors were on casual
contracts through the Office of the Dean of Students to provide support during high demand
periods.
Learning Skills
Weekly Learning Skills presentations were offered at King’s in 2013-14. During the Fall Term,
twenty (20) presentations were offered by Mike Allegretti, Doug Mantle, Catherine Turner, Linda
Whidden, or Susan Evans.
Learning Skills Presentations
Dates
Learning Skills Promo Day September 17, 2013
Introduction to Learning Skills September 24, 2013
Navigating the Library Website October 1, 2013
Digital Organization October 8, 2013
Searching the Library Catalogues October 15, 2013
Noteworthy Textbook Reading October 22, 2013
Using My Library Account and Citation
Tools
November 5, 2013
Maximizing Mobile Apps November 12, 2013
Worry-Free Exam Preparation November 19, 2013
Tips on Exam Writing November 26, 2013
Bringing Your Brain Back From Vacation January 14, 2014
Research Using Library Databases January 21, 2014
Time Management January 28, 2014
Efficient Use of Your Computer February 4, 2014
Citations February 11, 2014
Noteworthy Textbook Reading February 25, 2014
Exam Study Tips March 4, 2014
Digital Life and Organization March 11, 2014
Writing Multiple Choice Exams March 18, 2014
Practice Exams March 25, 2014
In addition to Learning Skills presentations at King’s and Western (offered almost daily),
individual learning skills appointments were offered by Catherine Turner, as possible. During the
Winter Term, Catherine began a medical leave which required students to be referred to learning
skills specialists at Western or to work with another counsellor or resource person as possible.
Career Services
Career Counselling:
Two hundred forty-nine (249) students were seen for career counselling at King’s--a significant
increase over the previous three years (151, 183 and 216 respectively). All students were seen
initially for a half-hour appointment to ensure all students were able to start their career
exploration in a timely way; subsequent appointments are scheduled for a full hour.
King’s University College Career Services Demographics
Year
# of
Student
s
Mal
e
Femal
e
Unde
r
25
Ove
r
25
FT
PT
Alu
m
Int
.
1st
Nation
s
Socia
l
Work
1st
Gen
.
2013-
14 249 73 176 203 46
21
5 23 11 33 0 10 33
2012-
13 216 59 157 170 46
16
4 23 29 18 1 4 38
2011-
12 183 32 151 152 31
15
7 18 8 17 2 1 23
2010-
11 151 35 116 127 24
12
6 8 17 11 2 2 15
2009-
10 118 25 93 94 24 98 10 10 12 1 1 14
2008-
09 73 19 54 59 14 63 9 1 9 1 0 6
2007-
08 28 5 23 21 7 20 7 1 n/a n/a n/a
2006-
07 100 19 81 86 14 85 10 5 n/a n/a n/a
2005-
06 97 20 77 83 14
n/a
/ n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
# of Students Seeking Career Support by Year of Registration
Year 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
1 16 28 28 39 39 41
2 14 22 31 27 32 41
3 13 28 33 41 48 61
4 29 30 42 68 64 90
5
(Special Student)
n/a n/a n/a n/a 4 5
Graduate/Alumni 1 10 17 8 29 11
In Fall 2013 Susan Ackland, King’s Career Counsellor, assisted with the 8 week International
student group offered through the Student Success Centre. This workshop was then offered at
King’s in conjunction with Linda Weber from King’s International. The group targeted third and
fourth year students who were staying in Canada and seeking employment after graduation. The
group was well received and evaluated by the students who attended.
Information Sessions/Outreach/Committees
Alumni Mentorship Program (new)
In collaboration with Alumni Services, formalized an alumni mentorship program. 26 successful
matches between students and alumni have been made since September 2013.
Program Planning, Academic Deans Office
February 13, 2014
Participated in panel presentation focusing on “Getting started in Career Exploration” as part of the
Academic Deans office Spring Program Counselling period
Fireside Chat for Prospective Bachelor of Education students, February 13, 2014,
Student to Business Networking Event, March 5, 2014
Resume Presentation for Graduating BSW Students, March 25, 2013 (new)
Faculty of Education Information Sessions 2013
We had a total of 10 offerings this year. Both the collaboration with Pre-education Society at
Western and the panel format continue to work well. Turnout was very similar to last year.
Several schools were unable to attend because of last minute conflicts with larger fairs which all
the schools attend and weather-related cancellations.
THE ACADEMIC HEART OF KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE: THE G.
EMMETT CARDINAL CARTER LIBRARY
The Cardinal Carter Library remains dedicated to using new technologies, as well as time-
honoured methods, to support the scholarship of students and faculty and continues to measure
its activities and successes using traditional metrics (Appendix 1). However, there is a sometimes
troubling awareness of the inadequacy of these measures to show the fundamental shift in the
roles of libraries, librarians and library staff. The library is a meeting place, a ‘third place’, a site
of collaboration, creativity and discovery. Changes to the physical space within its walls enhance
the library’s flexibility, accessibility, vibrancy and safety. Librarians and library staff are
educators, content curators and navigators in an ever-expanding ocean of information. In this
dynamic environment the librarians and staff of the Cardinal Carter Library recognize the
importance of the ongoing development of professional skills and of active participation in the
discussion of issues in the academy and the academic library (Appendix 2).
As unwavering life-long learners, librarians are committed to nurturing the impulse toward life-
long learning among library users and welcomed the 2012 proposal to revise the Information
Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education by the Association of College and
Research Libraries (ACRL). In its 2014 draft Framework for Information Literacy for Higher
Education1
the ACRL recognizes that ‘changes in higher education, coupled with a more
complex information ecosystem than existed at the end of the last century, demand new
engagement with the concept of information literacy.’ In a shift away from a hierarchy of
standards, performance indicators, and learning outcomes the ‘Framework is based on concepts
about information ecosystems; practices for increasing expertise within it; particular ways of
thinking about it and behaving within it; and general strategies for learning from it.’ To establish
a foundation for introducing students to complex information systems, the Framework identifies
threshold concepts, including ‘scholarship is a conversation’, ‘research as inquiry’, and
‘searching is strategic’, around which information literacy programs may be built. While
librarians recognize these concepts as having long informed their teaching, both directly and
indirectly, that they are now clearly articulated by the ACRL presents both a challenge and a
guide. The challenge is to develop teaching practices which expose students to threshold
concepts that transform their understanding of the information ecosystem. There is no question
of the benefit to students and faculty of the early acquisition of information literacy skills and, in
the new administrative structure of King’s University College, commencing July 2014, the
library is well positioned, under the umbrella of the Vice-Principal, Academic and Student
Affairs, to promote the development of these skills.
Physical: Library-as-Place
In preparation for the opening of the Darryl J. King Student Life Centre physical enhancements
of library space continued. A 3M security gate and crested, plexi-glass guide panels were
installed at the east entrance leading to the King Centre. A self-check station near this entrance
provides self-serve checkout of library materials to those moving between the two buildings. An
informal seating area with 2 new lounge chairs was set up adjacent to the east entrance
overlooking the King Centre. Replacement of the fire panel located in the library foyer was
required to ensure protection of both buildings. In the main floor commons area dual covers for
the floor mounted electrical outlets were replaced with single covers, and Acrovyn wall covering
was applied to protect the wallpaper in areas vulnerable to scuffing. Card swipe technology was
installed on two internal entrance doors, the Eaton Special Collections Room (ESCR) and Group
Study Room H. The card entry on the ESCR is integrated with the library’s security system,
providing additional protection, and on the entrance to Group Study Room H it enhances
accessibility for those with limited mobility.
With the opening of the King Centre on January 8, 2014, fears concerning a mass exodus to the
newly opened King Centre were quickly put to rest as the library’s main floor and the Andy and
Helen Spriet Learning Commons were both fully occupied. The energy was contagious with
students moving seamlessly from one space to the next. While the study space rating on the
Western University Survey of Graduating Students: 2013-13 decreased slightly from the previous
year, it is anticipated that the additional space in the Andy and Helen Spriet Learning Commons
will make a significant difference to that same category in the 2013-14 survey results (Appendix
3). Use of the self-checkout at the entrance to the King Centre is growing.
Three distinct learning zones, introduced in the summer of 2013, have met with considerable
success. Students are most respectful of the Silent Zone located on the 2nd floor. The Quiet Zone
(2nd floor, northwest corner and main floor, south end between Group Study Rooms A & B) is
gaining followers, particularly after 2 open windows at the top of the second floor were replaced
with hinged, framed glass which reduced the noise filtering from the main floor and stairwell.
The Conversation-Friendly Zone on the main floor continues to be a popular gathering space.
The Cardinal Carter Archives collection continues to grow with the addition of vestments,
photos, and the funeral guest book gifted by Msgr. Brad Massman, who was the Director of
Communications for the Archdiocese of Toronto and a close friend of the late Cardinal. Msgr.
Massman also gifted King’s a portrait of Carter Falls, painted by Lawren Phillip Harris, son of
Lawren Stewart Harris, member of the Group of Seven. The Falls, situated near Kenora, were
named in Carter’s honour by the Government of Ontario, Ontario Geographic Names Board.
The Cardinal Carter display case, with monies gifted by friends and honorary pallbearers of the
late Cardinal, was installed in late August 2013. This elegant walnut display case, with a copper
ceiling and glass shelves, showcases the Cardinal’s vestments, artifacts and symbols beautifully.
With sincere thanks to Mrs. Anna Abromeit, Cardinal Thomas Collins approved the Archdiocese
of Toronto’s permanent loan donation to the College of Carter’s pontifical pectoral cross,
precious mitre and Vatican II Council ring. A handout describing the items more fully is situated
to the left of the display case.
Over the past year 9 informative displays including National Aboriginal Day, Student Mental
Health, Catholic Students Week and the Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II
were mounted. The King’s Faculty Publications display case was enhanced with the addition of
descriptive place cards which include a photograph and scholarly interests of those whose books
are on display.
Information Services
In September 2013 the library employed 11 Work Study Students, including 4 First Generation
students. Of these, 8 were assigned to Information Services where they provided weekday
backup to the service desk and essential support to stacks maintenance activities. Evening and
weekend circulation service was provided by 10 Student Circulation Assistants (SCA), all King’s
undergraduate students. After-hours research assistance was provided by 7 Student Reference
Assistants (SRA), 4 of whom worked one term each. All SRAs are graduate students enrolled in
Western’s Master of Library and Information Science program.
In February 2014 the library produced its first promotional video, Insiders’ Tips to King’s
Library, featuring two student employees of the library, who lead the viewer on a tour of the
library while talking about the features and services which are most important to new students.
Posted on March 17, 2014 as of April 30, 2014 the video was viewed 787 times.
During February 2014 the library accepted the field placement of Mohawk College Library
Techniques Program student Lee Anne Chapman. In the 3 weeks (105 hours) of her placement
Lee Anne experienced most aspects of library operations, spending the first week and part of her
last week assisting with and learning about Information Services functions.
Information literacy instruction was provided to 1,189 students in 39 classroom sessions and to
many more in one-on-one meetings by appointment with one of the subject librarians or upon
request at the Research Help Desk. Appendix 3, the ‘King’s and Western University Survey of
Graduating Students’, shows a slight drop, from 3.9 in 2011-12 to 3.7 in 2012-13, on ‘Library
instruction improved my research skills’ and, while there was an increase in the number of
instruction sessions provided, from 26 in 2012-13 to 39 in 2013-14, it is clear that information
literacy instruction is challenged by the increasing complexity of the information environment. It
is anticipated that adopting ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,
will help to address some gaps in the information literacy program.
After training and session shadowing during September and October 2013, two members of the
Information Services team began participating in Western Libraries contribution to OCUL’s
virtual reference service, ASK: Chat with a Librarian. This service permits students and other
researchers from participating universities across Ontario to access professional assistance, using
almost any online device, via an instant messaging service. While King’s has contributed only 2
to 4 hours of virtual reference service per month since November 2013, its participation signals a
move toward new modes of communicating with library users and is appreciated by Western
Libraries colleagues.
To improve access to the library’s excellent film collection and in conjunction with changes to
The D.B. Weldon Library’s loan policy for films, the Cardinal Carter Library changed its DVD
loan period to 7 days and made all DVDs requestable for pick-up at other Western and affiliated
university college libraries. For several years the Cardinal Carter Library has had a film booking
system, used primarily by faculty members, and is currently working with Western Libraries to
develop a system-wide film booking system which will allow users to reserve media items for
classroom screenings from a link in the catalogue record.
Because the opening of the King Centre was delayed until January 2014 the library remained
open 24/7 during the December exam period. The pattern of overnight use of library study space
remained consistent with previous winter extended hours periods. In April the King Centre
remained open 24/7 during the final exam period allowing the library to discontinue the
provision of study space between midnight and 8:00 am. However, the library added a total of 48
hours to its regular hours of service, remaining open from 8:00 am until 12:00 midnight, April
11-29, 2014.
Alanna Marson resigned from the position of Information Services Assistant (Circulation and
Stacks Maintenance), effective March 21, 2014 to accept a professional position as Clinical
Librarian at Victoria Hospital. A contract person was hired to work at the service desk until April
30, 2014 which allowed staff to review service delivery models.
Information Resources
Information Resources acquires and provides access to library materials in all formats in support
of the teaching and research missions of King’s University College. The prompt and efficient
purchasing, cataloguing of new material, the licensing of electronic resources and collection
preservation all impact on the quality of library services to our community. The department is
committed to continually improving our efficiency and reliability and keeping our work skills
relevant.
Regularly reviewed collection policies guide the subject librarians in collecting print and
electronic material to support the disciplines taught at King’s. The library has a government
enforced mandate to comply with the AODA: Accessible Formats in Education Libraries2
standards by its January 1, 2015 deadline whereby ‘educational and training institutions and its
libraries must provide educational and training resources and materials in accessible formats
upon request.’ This legislation also indicates that ‘producers of educational or training materials
must provide educational or training institutions with accessible or conversion ready textbooks
and supplementary resources upon request’. An analysis of the DVD collection indicated that of
the 1,965 titles, only 522 films were not closed captioned or did not have English subtitles as a
choice for viewing. Moving forward films that include closed captions, and/or English sub-titles,
and descriptive video are requested. Should the films not meet these standards, the producer
and/or director is contacted to seek permission to add closed captions and/or enquire if a
transcript is available.
The ebook collection is developed in a measured manner, given that the statistics and use
patterns suggest that undergraduate students still prefer print material. Relevant e-reference titles
are always purchased if available. The various ebook platforms are considered to ensure
respective formats are compatible with most screen reading software.
As of March 2014 all Library of Congress cataloguing records are in the Resource Description
and Access (RDA) format. The Information Resources team remains committed to making sense
of the new cataloguing standards. It has been necessary to change some of the local cataloguing
practices in order to incorporate the new rules into a meaningful record display in the shared
library catalogue.
The recommended 5% increase in the Acquisitions line was not approved by the Budget
Committee which meant that the opening balance of $595,049 remained the same as 2012-13.
This did not come as a surprise as the Chief Financial Officer had earlier expressed that the
library’s spending activity averaged out to be $500,000 for the past 4 years. From the $595,049
budget, $295,049.00 was allocated to monographs/audiovisuals and $300,000.00 to serials. On
September 20, 2013 the Budget Committee requested all departments reduce their non-salary
lines by 3.5% and on October 16, 2013 requested a further 10% for a total reduction of $100,000.
The library responded to this request by reducing the monographs budget line by $75,000 to
$220,049, since the other library accounts were too lean to sustain the proposed reduction. The
periodicals budget was reduced by $25,000. At the same time the weakened Canadian dollar
negatively impacted purchasing power. Appendix 6 highlights the breakdown by fund code and
department of the year end monographs/audiovisual budget statement as of April 30, 2014. A
further decrease for the 2014-15 acquisition lines is comparable to the 2009-10 allocation
(Appendix 7). The importance of collaborative collection development among Western Libraries
and the affiliate university college libraries to serve users’ information needs is essential.
A total of 3,729 orders and 733 invoices were processed, adding 4,016 books and 170 films to
the collection in support of scholarly research and teaching. Appendix 8 reflects the vendor
comparisons for the period May 1, 2013 through April 30, 2014. Appendix 9 shows the
percentage of orders assigned to the primary vendors, including the Book Store at Western. The
increase in credit card orders, from 10% last year to 21% this year, honours the CFO’s expressed
direction and yet has added significantly to the acquisitions workload. The average estimated
cost of a book was $59.31 while the average cost for audiovisual material, including feature
films and documentaries, was $151.30 (Appendix 10).
Aggressive deselection was required due to limited collection space. Subject librarians were
consulted about their criteria for deselection and using the CREW formula, which stands for
Continuous Review Evaluation and Weeding, review files of call number ranges were run so that
titles could be checked against the shared library catalogue. Older imprints or titles available in
the shared library catalogue were withdrawn to make room for new material. In total 4,186 items
were withdrawn from the circulating and reference collections, 886 items from compact storage
and 946 reels of microfilm. The disposal of assets detailed report, including books, newspapers,
multimedia and serials, amounted to $207,618.85.
Appendices 11 and 12 include the library volume count and the analysis and growth of the
circulating book collection by Library of Congress class. Seventy-one serial titles, available
online with no embargo of the current issue, valued at approximately $11,400 were cancelled in
2013-14 (Appendix 13). Appendix 14 identifies 14 new journal titles ordered to support
curriculum programming.
Collection growth in the Eaton Special Collection Room was again modest given the space
limitations. A reorganization of the material in this room was undertaken and, titles in the Ian
Hunter “Muggeridge” and Dr. William Bush “Bernanos” collections not unique within the
Western Libraries system, were relocated to compact storage. The reallocation of the space,
allowed us to accept the final installment of Bernanosiana, including such materials as books,
photographs, paintings, related-waistcoat, etc.
Seventeen titles were added to the faculty recognition area bringing the total to 282. Eighty-two
boxes from academic and administrative units were added to the College Records Centre
Collection. Thirty record service requests were handled.
On April 30, 2014 Russell Braley, Information Resources Assistant (Cataloguing and Records
Management), retired from King’s after providing 25 years of outstanding service. Russ’s career
began in 1989 when he was hired to work on a recon project, a painstaking onerous task of
transferring the information on the shelf-list cards into a machine readable database. Following
this 2-year project he assumed the cataloguing role and later took on significant accountabilities
in handling the special collections housed in the Eaton Special Collections Room, archives and
records management, while providing quality circulation and reference assistance at the service
desk. He successfully balanced these roles in a most positive manner. As the integrity of the
catalogue was always foremost in his mind, he ensured that the bibliographic record was error
free and met local standards. Until his last day he stressed the importance of the critical analysis
required when cataloging new material. His legacy of providing high quality records that assist
users in retrieving research material will continue.
Effective May 1, 2014 Mark Rumas, as the successful candidate, assumed the Information
Resources Assistant (Cataloguing and Records Management) role. Following this appointment
job functions were reviewed and Ewa Czachorowski assumed the Information Resources
Assistant: Acquisitions (Monographs and Serials) position.
Virtual:Place-as Library
Three databases were cancelled this year: Book Review Digest Plus, Contemporary Authors (as
all content is included in Literature Resource Center purchased by Western Libraries) and World
History Collection (Appendix 15). Appendix 16 highlights the electronic database subscriptions
purchased by King’s and made available to the entire Western community. Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM 5 was purchased jointly with Western Libraries.
The ongoing renewal of the library’s website continued in 2013-14 including the replacement of
12 existing pages with revised and updated pages in LibGuides format. A Disability Studies
research guide was added in September 2013 and 7 resource guides were added to a new section
of the Student Support site called ‘Guides – Across the Curriculum’. The Student Reference
Assistants and Information Services Assistants continue to collaborate in the production and
maintenance of an information rich and navigable library website. Scholarly print and e-
resources continue to be added to the 22 subject specific research guides, which have proven to
be a valued resource to library users, as evidenced in the 20,707 views recorded from May 1,
2013 - April 30, 2014. In order to facilitate 24 hour access to academic information, reference
material is purchased in electronic format where available and added to research guides as
appropriate. Appendix 17 includes 15 e-reference sources purchased.
The Faculty Publications research guide continues to be popular with a total of 3,928 views from
May 1, 2013 - April 30, 2014. The guide is kept current and books not already in the collection
are purchased. Information found on this guide proved helpful when preparing for the first
annual King’s and St. Peter’s Seminary Faculty Book Launch held on January 24, 2014.
The librarians work with instructors to facilitate students’ access to both online and print-only
resources relevant to their research using research guides, electronic reserves and OWL.
Instructors are encouraged to post links to research guides on their course management sites and,
within the provisions of the Copyright Act, to make required and supplementary reading material
available via the library’s electronic reserves. Library mediation in the provision of e-resources
to students ensures copyright compliance.
Collaborative Partnerships
Internal Partners
Library Committee: Meeting on 2 occasions the Committee provided valuable support to issues
relating to the $100,000 reduction to the monographs and serials budget lines. Motions at both
meetings stressed the members grave concerns about long-term negative implications to the
scholarly collection should the mandated reduction continue one or more years.
Principal’s Office: The Harris Report, released in mid-August 2013, proposed possible changes
to the College’s existing administrative processes and structures. One option recommends a
structure whereby the Chief Librarian would report directly to a new position titled “Vice
Principal and Academic Dean”. A second option establishes the Vice-Principal and Academic
Dean as separate positions with the Chief Librarian reporting to the Vice-Principal. Following
the recommendations included in the ‘Report of the King’s Administrative Review Working
Group’, the library will report to the Vice-Principal and Academic Dean. Library staff supported
this change, which follows the academic model whereby the library reports to the Provost. The
dual library integrated leadership role with St. Peter’s Seminary Library is reflected in a change
of title from Chief Librarian to Director of Libraries. This was the sole modification and as far as
operations in the library, at the February10, 2014 Library Committee meeting the Academic
Dean indicated significant changes are not anticipated.
KUCSC: KUCSC continues to remain a key internal partner. Following up on a suggestion made
by Jenn Carter, President of KUCSC, ITS purchased 2 Mac and 4 universal laptop chargers for
students to use while in the library. This news was posted to the KUC Facebook page with the
result that students requested them immediately. Unfortunately heavy use caused 2 of the USB to
8 pin Mac connectors to break. To simplify matters library staff placed the mini Apple charger
cables and power adaptors in separate bags. Later in the year KUCSC purchased 2 Apple
Lightning (8 pin) to USB cables and 5 Apple 5w USB Power Adapters. This continues to be a
very popular service.
Student events included bake sales with proceeds going to ‘Outreach 360’ and Off Campus (OC)
dons hosted a free ‘cookies and coffee’ event in the library during the Christmas exam period
much to students’ delight.
Campus Ministry: Staff generously participated in the Shoebox Project to ensure those who
frequent the Hospitality Centre receive a Christmas gift.
Academic Dean’s Office: On December 2, 2013, the London Community Foundation announced
funding in the amount of $250,355 to support the creation of The Poverty Research Centre. The
vision of the Centre, a joint venture of the Sisters of St. Joseph and the London Food Bank, is to
eliminate poverty. The library participated in early discussions regarding King’s involvement.
The research guide will continue to evolve as discussions and initiatives unfold.
http://kings.uwo.libguides.com/poverty
King’s welcomed around 75 scholars from 11 countries on June 12-14, 2013 for the 2nd annual
conference of The International Association for the Study of the Philosophy of Edith Stein. Co-
hosted by King’s CAREP, the conference focused on the collected works of Edith Stein. A book
display of relevant materials was also included.
Human Resources: Under the Integrated Standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act, and by law, each organization is obliged to have an Accessibility Advisory
Committee. Led by Veronika Elsie, the primary task of this Committee, which had its first
meeting in November, was to identify barriers and develop King’s first accessibility plan. Linda
Whidden represented the library to ensure that King’s meets the AODA: Accessible Formats in
Education Libraries (school, college, and university) standards by its January 1, 2015 deadline.
Staff are doing their utmost to ensure that closed captioning is available in all non-print media
and pdf links in the reserve course listings are compatible with any reader.
Dean of Students Office: The Accessible Content E-Portal (ACE) Project is a collaboration of
the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the University of Toronto, with support
from the Government of Ontario as a part of the EnAbling Change Program. The accessible
content E-Portal, converting textbooks into a digital format hosted on the Scholars Portal ebook
platform, aims to enhance the ability of university libraries throughout Ontario to provide
barrier-free access to textual resources for students and faculty with various reading and print
disabilities and meet AODA standards. The ACE repository currently offers 1,100 accessible
books in five different formats. Students are assigned their unique token ID and can download
one chapter at a time in colour pdf, black and white pdf, EPUB (downloadable to ebook readers),
text and/or daisy. Western signed the ACE agreement in January 2014 and is rolling this out
slowly this summer in collaboration with Services for Students with Disabilities who will be
handing out the required passwords to students registered with SSD. Monica Fazekas, Western
Libraries Student Engagement and Outreach Librarian, is Western’s contact for the ACE project.
Library staff will work closely with the Manager of Counselling and Student Development to
ensure that everything is place by September.
In the Fall/Winter 2013 the library partnered with Counselling & Student Development staff to
offer Learning Skills workshops. Five library-specific sessions included Navigating the Library’s
Website, Searching the Catalogue, Using My Library Account and Citation Tools, Research
Using Library Databases and Citation Searching. While attendance was disappointingly low, the
outreach initiative was deemed important and promotion will be enhanced for the 2014-15 year
to further address concerns raised in the 2012-13 Survey of Graduating Students (Appendix 3).
The ‘Good2Talk’ Ontario government initiative was promoted by ensuring posters and magnets
were available at the Service Desk and in washrooms.
Information Technology Services: ITS serves the library staff and users in a most positive and
accommodating manner. From dealing with never ending troubleshooting for the PaperCut print
management software, to adding streaming video to the King’s server, to replacing cords and
monitors library staff is most appreciative of their courteous and responsive support.
Office of the Registrar: Welcoming service is always provided to prospective students visiting
our campus either solo or at the four Welcome Days.
Financial Services: Printer/copiers fall under the control of Financial Services. Copies generated
in 2013-14 totaled 624,132 as compared to 2012-13’s combined total of 688,879 copies for a
decrease of approximately 9.4%. The continued downward trend, while somewhat troubling,
may be related to the increased use of laptops, allowing students to download articles rather than
print them and to the movement toward linking to digital material in course management systems
and reserve and away from the use of course material in hard copy. As well the use of coins at
any print/copier, which was always popular, was eliminated. In March 2014, one of the 5 copiers
was relocated to the learning commons area of the King Centre with service provided by library
staff.
As part of, and to facilitate the employee portal expansion, the library participated in initial
implementation testing of the Timesheets portal, the Deposits portal for both cash and point of
sale deposits, and a training session for issuing purchase requests. The addition of Financial
Analysis to the employee portal provides readily accessible, pertinent and reasonably current
data for library accounts. Constructive feedback following the testing phase was shared with the
Manager of General Accounting.
Physical Plant Department: Exemplary service continues to be provided by Physical Plant. The
library’s washrooms are cleaned frequently during the day and replacement of lights is attended
to promptly. The boilers support both the Library and the King Centre. While the heating is not a
problem in the King Centre, the library continues to experience heating fluctuations. Extreme
weather conditions caused havoc with the HVAC system adjacent to the Eaton Special
Collections Room. Honeywell and the system installers did their utmost to troubleshoot these
problems.
Thanks are also extended to Physical Plant and Security staff that assisted with crowd control
during the tornado/storm that took place on September 9, 2013. Some 200 students and a handful
of faculty were housed in the basement. Campus police did their utmost to keep us informed and
the Administrative Team members communicated by using their blackberries hooked up to the
ECOG (Emergency Operations Control Group) network.
Foundation and Alumni Affairs Office: The ‘sneak peek’ celebration of the Darryl J. King
Student Life Centre took place during Homecoming, September 28, 2013. The ceremony,
held in the library, was followed by a tour of the learning lounge area. The French
bistro theme was enjoyed by all.
Communications Office: Jane Antoniak worked closely with Information Services staff to
prepare the library’s first-ever video aimed at current and potential students.
KUC-St. Peter’s Seminary Library Partners
The St. Peter’s Seminary Working Committee, mandated by Bishop Fabbro, was charged with
developing a plan to reduce spending and chart a path toward financial stability. In developing
this financial plan, the library was identified as one of the areas needing budget refinement with
the result that significant cuts were made to the salary and acquisitions budget lines. The
Working Committee determined that there would be no more paid part-time staff to provide
evening and weekend hours throughout the school year and on August 1, 2013 longtime library
employee, Rita Ulrich, was informed that her position was eliminated. Monograph acquisitions
were halved from $26,000 to $13,000 and periodicals reduced from $16,500 to $13,300.
Discussion on the role and vision of the library going forward, to be held at an Academic Faculty
meeting in February, was postponed until the May 2014 Faculty Planning Days. Repercussions
from these cuts are still being felt a year later making 2013-14 a difficult year for the library, an
“annus horribilis,” to quote Queen Elizabeth. The strong relationship with the Cardinal Carter
Library was a grace during this difficult time. Its supportive staff provided many hours of
assistance and training as new accountabilities such as monograph and serials acquisitions were
learned. Frances Theilade and Claire Callaghan appreciated decisions made by the St. Peter’s
Seminary Working Committee were not made lightly, but rather after significant review,
reflection and prayer. While dealing with a loss of a dear colleague Frances Theilade has
embraced opportunities to grow, innovate and further develop her leadership skills and in the
process has achieved major wins.
King’s ITS staff set up a shared drive so that items of interest to all library staff are easily
accessible (e.g., annual reports, statistics, work plans, etc.). Having quick and stable access to all
relevant materials became a necessity following the recent position elimination.
In co-operation with Susan Ackland, Counsellor - Career Services, and commencing February
2014, a King’s student worked 2 hours per week on the Seminary’s Lantern slides project. Titles
were transcribed and a brief description of the slides was provided in preparation for possible
digitization. ITS also set up a user account on Claire Callaghan’s desktop to allow for work, such
as the Lantern project, to be conducted.
Jennifer Robinson, Director of Library and Information Services at Huron University College
met with Frances Theilade and Claire Callaghan to discuss collaborative purchasing in support of
the Masters of Theological Studies program jointly taught by Huron and Seminary theology
faculty. Once Huron’s Theology Collections Policy is approved, concrete collections discussions
regarding libraries specializing in certain aspects of theology will commence.
From the Heart of the Poor: a Spirituality of Social Justice was the title of the 4th annual A. P.
Mahoney Library Lecture given by Fr. Frank O’Connor, Spiritual Director at St. Peter’s
Seminary. The lecture on October 16, 2013 was well attended and serves as the highlight of
October’s Theological Libraries Month. A $300 mini-grant was received from the American
Theological Library Association (ATLA) to offset costs associated with the lecture.
The library is participating in the Catholic Newspapers Program, an initiative of the Catholic
Research Resources Alliance (CRRA) whose mandate is ‘to provide access to all extant Catholic
newspapers in North America.’3
CRRA meetings will be held at St. Michael’s College at the
University of Toronto and at the American Theological Library Association conference in New
Orleans in June 2014.
External Partners
Diocese of London: Debra Majer, archivist for the Diocese of London continues to
provide archival assistance as needed. Her feedback regarding the final arrangement of
the G. Emmett Cardinal Carter display case was appreciated.
Western Libraries: Western University and the University of Toronto declined to enter
into new agreements with Access Copyright, which resulted in the expiration of their
agreements on December 31, 2013. Western’s policy, including a Copyright Decision
Map, is posted on the Copyright@Western site. Under the leadership of Tom Adam,
Project Manager and Special Advisor to the Provost, short, medium and long-term goals
of the copyright office are being addressed. The launch of the website accomplished the
short-term goal; in the medium term, courses and workshops for both library staff and
end-users will be offered during the Summer and Fall of 2014; the development of a
sustainable program of copyright education and compliance is the long-term plan.
Susan Evans and Martha Gordon have been participating in the ASK: Chat with a
Librarian virtual sessions since November 2013. The library recently agreed to provide 9
hours of service per month commencing in September 2014.
From January through April 2014, Craig Mitchell served on Western Libraries’ Course
Reserves Working Group, Western’s first foray into e-reserves. Craig’s knowledge of
copyright legislation and experience with e-reserves allowed him to make a valued
contribution to the work of the group whose final recommendation was the
purchase of Ares software, an e-reserves management system which integrates well
with Sakai.
In preparation for the 43rd annual WILU (Workshop on Instruction in Library Use)
Conference taking place at Western University from May 21 - 23, 2014, Linda Whidden
participated on the Marketing Committee. King’s, as a bronze sponsor, was profiled on
the WILU website, signage and handouts before and during the conference.
Until this past year the library had little to do with Scholarship@Western with its
mandate ‘to collect, disseminate, archive, and preserve a variety of materials created or
sponsored by Western University community’.4
To be blunt it was felt that the Faculty
Publications research guide was a better model as links to the final article are included
where possible. A link to this research guide has since been added to the King’s section on
S@W. Earlier in the year discussions took place with Diane Humphrey and David Bell to
include the 4th year psychology theses in the S@W institutional repository. Susan Evans
laid the groundwork with Western Libraries’ staff and commencing in May 2014 student
theses will be added to a special section within King’s profile.
A formal review to examine the present state and future prospects of Western
Libraries took place on September 10-11, 2013. Claire Callaghan, Jennifer Robinson and
Jim Mei, Director of the Beryl Ivey Library at Brescia, met with external reviewers
Larry Alford, Chief Librarian, University of Toronto, and Karen Adams, University
Librarian at the University of Manitoba to share their views. The importance of open and
transparent communication lines with the affiliate university college library directors was
stressed as the libraries transition to a primarily digital future to meet the needs of the
21st-century students and faculty.
After considering recommendations resulting from the review a search for a University
Librarian commenced in earnest. In early February 2014 the Senate-appointed Selection
Committee for Western’s University Librarian invited the affiliate library directors to
meet with the two short- listed candidates. The successful incumbent, Catherine
Steeves, who is presently the Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Associate
Chief Librarian position at the University of Guelph, assumes her new role in mid-
August 2014. She is familiar with the affiliate university college structure as her mother
graduated from Brescia and her father from King’s.
Affiliate University College Libraries: In late August 2013 Jim Mei and Claire Callaghan
met with Jennifer Robinson to inform her of the collaborative and supportive roles
played by the affiliate university college libraries. Collaborative collections purchasing,
online versus print subscriptions, copyright, reporting line structures and budget issues
were some of the issues discussed.
Brescia is currently undergoing a program review and prioritization of all academic
and non- academic programs. A major component of the process is comparative by
which programs are measured against external standards, best-practices and similar
institutions. Following a request by Jim Mei, the library provided answers to library
services and programming questions that were collapsed into eight broad program
headings. Each program is being assessed using a series of 28 questions grouped into 6
categories.
St. Jerome’s University: Jonathan Bengtson, University Librarian at the University of
Victoria, and previously Chief Librarian at the University of St. Michael’s College, and
Claire Callaghan acted as external reviewers of St. Jerome’s Library, April 2-3, 2014.
The busy agenda included meetings with the SJU Librarian, library staff, President,
Vice-President and Academic Dean, Vice-President - Administration, faculty, students,
as well as representatives of the University of Waterloo Library. The reviewers
appreciated the candor, well-organized schedule and gracious hospitality. The final report
was submitted on May 1, 2014.
Forward Looking
With the opening of the King Centre, students adjusted immediately to the
library’s new eastward orientation, moving freely between the two buildings; however,
the library’s main floor commons remains a favoured meeting place and the site of both
academic and social collaboration. Like their colleagues in the academy, librarians
recognize that education occurs in all aspects of students’ lives and that those lives
are increasingly situated in an ever more complex online environment. The library is
uniquely positioned to help them negotiate, interpret and filter the enormous amount of
information available in all formats. Commencing July 1, 2014, following the
recommendations of both the Harris Report and the King’s Administrative Review
Working Group, the library will report to the Vice-Principal and Academic Dean. The
new Academic and Student Affairs cluster will establish a closer working relationship
with the Dean, Student Services and the departmental Chairs, and will facilitate effective
communication in dealing with such timely issues as compliance with AODA standards
and the introduction of ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher
Education. The arrival of a new University Librarian at Western, in August 2014, also
promises the renewal of alliances with Western Libraries. We welcome these new
relationships and look forward to the opportunities and challenges presented by the
evolving role of the library in the academic enterprise.
HUMAN RESOURCES
The mission of Human Resources is to develop and foster a productive, creative, respectful and
harmonious work environment, committed to diversity, equity and fairness. We strive to achieve
this through the development of innovative and proactive human resource practices which support
organizational goals and assist all members of the community in enhancing their individual and
personal growth.
It has been two years now that HR has taken over the administrative aspects of the faculty hiring
process. Faculty contract letter templates and standard promotion and tenure letter templates
continue to be updated to standardize and streamline the process. We also update our Faculty
Orientation Handbooks for Part-time and Full-time faculty and our Best Practices for Faculty
Hiring on a yearly basis.
40 summer part-time faculty contracts, 222 fall/winter part-time faculty contracts and 9
probationary and LTA contracts were completed. Additionally, 6 faculty promotions were
confirmed via new contract letters.
The faculty orientation handbook with a broad list of services, and an orientation checklist
continues to be updated and is being used. HR continues to support the relocation of new faculty
and their families (all non-academic aspects).
Last year, we devised new job posting templates for both Full-time and Part-time faculty to make
them more attractive, marketable, consistent and equitable. This year we have done the same
with the staff postings. Additionally, staff orientation packages continue to be updated.
The “Best Practices for Recruiting” guidelines document developed for faculty are continually
updated as a reference guide.
The Immigration Guidelines for hiring foreign academics, appended to the Best Practices
document is continually updated due to constantly changing immigration procedures.
The Human Resources database recently developed is continually fine-tuned for the smooth
onboarding of faculty and staff .
As part of staff development, all staff and PAOA were, once again, invited to participate in
Western’s Human Resources Conference week in February 2014. Numerous quality
presentations relating to leadership were offered.
Wellness lectures have been organized and three were offered throughout the year by our EAP
provider. They were well received and, therefore, Human Resources will offer additional
sessions this year.
This year six ergonomic assessments were requested and completed..
General ergonomic presentations have also been organized. They were one-hour office
ergonomic sessions outlining ergonomic risk factors, basic anatomy and causes of pain as well as
strategies to mitigate risk factors and proper work station setup. They were well received.
Human Resources continues its work to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act. Under this legislation, mandatory accessibility standards have been developed
which apply to public and private organizations. Of the five standards, Customer Service, as well
as the integrated standards of information and communications, employment, and transportation
are now law, and the built environment is forthcoming. Compliance entails a review and
understanding of massive amounts of information, policy development and employee training.
To date, we have developed policies and accompanying guidelines, we developed a
comprehensive King’s AODA website which we continue to update and we continue to work on
training to the extent possible for faculty, staff, student employees, Boards, volunteers and
contractors. A significant challenge encountered was faculty non-compliance with respect to the
training component of this relatively new piece of legislation. However, the use of Western’s
adapted on-line training tool, tailored to academics, has been of significant assistance. Training is
not optional. There has been a much better participation rate with the online package. Most
recently, the combined standard information has been updated and posted.
This year to ensure compliance, HR established a “statement of commitment” on behalf of the
College. It has been filed with the Directorate and has been posted on the King’s website.
Along with IT, we ensured that any new internet websites and web content on those sites conform
with Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Level A.
HR also ensured that all conditions under the Employment Accessibility Standard were met.
An Accessibility Advisory Committee was formed this year to assist in developing a
comprehensive multi-year accessibility plan. An inventory of barriers and barrier-removal
initiatives was prepared both for the physical environment and for information and
communications, attitudinal and technological barriers. These will be reviewed on an ongoing
basis.
HR submitted the King’s Accessibility Report to the Directorate on December 13, 2013. The
College is in compliance.
The HR Office receives regular updates on current legislation and future trends which could
affect King’s and its employees and shares this information with colleagues as needed:
information from the Human Resource Professional Association of Ontario; subscription to
Hicks, Morley, Hamilton newsletters as well as to the one from FilionWakely, HR Compliance
and Safety Compliance; and continued contact with Western regarding HR and other related
issues (plus several other publications).
We continue to work on the Occupational Health & Safety Act as it pertains to workplace
violence, workplace harassment and domestic violence. We have adapted to our environment
Western’s on-line training program to which we have been given access. This will be helpful for
new faculty and staff as well as those who have not taken the training when offered in classroom-
style. In addition, it is still our plan to re-introduce the Bill 168 (in-person) training to faculty in
an attempt to achieve some level of compliance with faculty.
This year the Occupational Health and Safety legislation introduced mandatory training for all
workers as well as for all supervisors. All employees needed to be trained and the College needs
to be in a position to provide proof of training. Along with Mike Tattersall, we communicated
through the Joint Health and Safety Committee to ensure the information was disseminated and
HR has kept track of all who have completed the training. There has been follow-up with those
who still have to go through the process. The challenge is to capture part-time faculty.
FOUNDATION AND ALUMNI
Alumni Affairs
The Office of Alumni Affairs at King’s University College fosters and maintains lifelong
relationships with more than 17,600 alumni who live and work around the world by using various
programs and methods to keep the connection with King’s.
Alumni communications included two issues of the King’s Herald, five alumni and development
e-newsletters and an updated website. A targeted mailing and email were sent out for the annual
fund campaign. In addition, alumni were invited by phone, mail and email to attend chapter
events. Great strides have been made in our social media efforts, and King’s alumni groups are
active on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Members of the Alumni Board for 2013-14 were: Natalie Mak '10, President, Ryan McMurray,
Vice-President, Gordana Cvetkovic ’02, Director, School of Social Work Representative,
Directors Daniel Cuevas ’11, Gregory Dack ’93, Richard Dixon '78, Shauna Eastman ’11, Khalil
Hamzo ’10, Mary O'Connor '10, Jeremy Santucci ’11, Dr. David Ducharme '64, King's University
College Board Representative, Jennifer Carter, King’s University College Student’s Council
Representative, Kaleigh Rodgers, Katrina Clarke ’06, and Erin Lawson.
Hamilton:
o In May, Greg Marshall spoke to the Hamilton Alumni Chapter on Traditions: Football,
Family and the Western Mustangs. Marshall discussed his career as a coach and an
athlete, as well as the special relationship shared by King’s and Western.
o In November, Vince Agro ’62 and Jim Zucchero ’82 spoke to the Hamilton Alumni
Chapter at The Hamilton Club. Their talks focussed on the experience and internment of
Italian Canadians during World War II.
Ottawa:
o In April, Ottawa area alumni attended Mary Walsh’s performance of Dancing with Rage.
Professor Jacquie Newman presented a lecture on Canadian politics prior to the
performance. It was a sold-out event.
Toronto:
o In August, alumni from Toronto gathered at the Beer Hall at Mill Street Brew Pub. The
event was well attended, with more than 45 alumni turning out for summer refreshments.
o Alumna Alana Walker Carpenter ’96, hosted a networking breakfast at Dentons. Alumni
from varying cohorts enjoyed the opportunity to discuss their career development since
leaving King’s.
o On November 14, alumni James Sbrolla ’90 and Anne Tavares ’91 hosted an Art Show in
support of King’s at their home.
o For the second year in a row, the Toronto alumni chapter hosted an ugly sweater contest
at their annual Merry Hours holiday gathering. This year’s event was held at the Firkin’
on King.
London:
o In July, the Alumni Association hosted a young alumni mixer at Jack Astor’s on
Richmond Row. Approximately 20 alumni attended for appetizers and networking.
o The annual Stratford Festival trip was hosted on September 22, drawing 40 guests to a
performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Festival Theatre. Prior to the play, attendees
enjoyed a talk by Professor Ian Rae on the history of the Festival in Stratford, as well as a
lecture on Romeo and Juliet provided by Professor Paul Werstine.
o In March, approximately 20 alumni attended a networking lunch at Aroma Mediterranean
Restaurant in downtown London.
Young Alumni:
o In January, the Killan Cup hockey tournament was held for the fourth time. Despite a
wind-chill dipping to the minus twenties, students and alumni hit the ice for what has
become a traditional rivalry. To the dismay of many students, an alumni group from
Toronto ‘took home the cup’.
Development Day:
o On May 3, the Office of Alumni Affairs hosted Development Day: connect. grow. lead.
This event was run on a break even basis and was organized in response to the requests
and suggestions made by recent graduates for more professional development and
networking opportunities. Approximately 80 people, including students, staff, alumni and
friends from local businesses, attended this full day personal and professional
development event. The King Centre was the perfect venue for the event. The keynote
speaker session took place in the Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre and the nine breakout
sessions were held in the three lower level classrooms.
Convocation
o Spring Convocation welcomed approximately 641 new members to the Alumni
Association on June 11, 2013. After the new graduates crossed the stage at Alumni Hall,
they made their way to the Elizabeth A. “Bessie” Hall for a reception with their family
and friends. There was a great turnout for the celebration of the newest members of the
Association.
o Fall Convocation saw another 205 new members to the Association on October 31, 2013.
Following the ceremony at Alumni Hall, students, along with their family and friends,
were invited to a luncheon at King’s.
Homecoming:
o Homecoming 2013 kicked off with the annual Friday Night Bash. Alumni, staff, faculty
and friends came together in the Vitali Student Lounge in the Wemple Building to enjoy
the musical talents of the legendary Rick McGhie and to catch up with old friends.
o Saturday’s Alumni Brunch featured presentations of the Alumni Award of Distinction to
recipient John Regan ‘84, and the Young Alumni Award of Distinction, which was
granted as a tie to Kevin Van Lierop ’04 and Paul Wilton ‘07. All were recognized for
their outstanding contributions to community. The event included a hot brunch, remarks
from Principal David Sylvester and touching words spoken by the honoured guests. After
brunch, a grand celebration and “sneak peek” of the King Centre were held in the
Cardinal Carter Library.
o The festivities then moved to the King’s tent at TD Stadium for a battle between the
Western Mustangs and the Queen’s Gaels. The Mustang’s beat the Gaels 50 -31 to the
delight of over 12,000 fans.
o The School of Social Work hosted an alumni wine and cheese reception in Labatt Hall.
o The final event to wrap up the weekend festivities was a post-game “Wings and Things”
reception, held in the Vitali Student Lounge. Guests were treated to the musical talents of
King’s alumnus, Gareth Bush ’13.
A new service offered to students and alumni is The Life After King’s Mentoring Program. The
program provides an informal opportunity for students and recent graduates to connect with
alumni who are established in their field. Mentors may provide advice on a range of topics,
including entering the workforce, career transitioning, specific career paths, or life in a new city.
The Office of Alumni Affairs made 24 mentor connections in 2013-14.
The Alumni Office offers beautiful degree frames as a service to new and past graduates (we will
even frame them for you when you come in with your degree). In 2013, over 150 degree frames
were sold to new alumni at the June and October Convocations.
The Alumni Association enjoys excellent relationships with two firms that provide useful services
for alumni. TD Insurance Meloche Monnex and Canada Life offer special rates to alumni across
Canada. Monies raised through these affinity partnerships, particularly TD Insurance Meloche
Monnex, are directed to chapter events and Homecoming. The Alumni Association has also
directed financial considerations from both affinity partners to support the Student Life
Campaign. This year, financial consideration from TD Insurance Meloche Monnex was $27,750
and approximately $1,000 was received from Canada Life.
KING’S UNIVERSITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION
The members of the Foundation Board for 2013-14 were: Brent Shea ’80 Chair, Andrea Bezaire
’02, Bill Brennan ’74, Jennifer Carter, Samira El-Hindi, Fred Galloway, Glenn Hardman, Marie
Horman ’82, Trevor Hunter ’92, Tim Kavanagh, Shawn McConville, Fr. James Mockler, Leanne
Perreault ’83, Principal David Sylvester and Erin Lawson, Executive Director.
In its audited statements for 2013-14, the Foundation reported revenues of $3,043,233 from all
sources. The Student Life Campaign, our current priority, provided funds for the creation of the
Darryl J. King Student Life Centre, as well as student scholarships and bursaries. With the
support of our donors, 98.7% of the $10.5 million goal has been reached and fundraising for this
campaign will continue until the end of 2014.
The following individuals serve as Honorary Patrons of The Student Life Campaign -“At the
Centre of it All”: Most Reverend R.P. Fabbro, Mitchell Baran, Gary ’73 and Catherine ’73
Comerford, Most Reverend R.A. Daniels ’80, Arthur Labatt, OC, Terry Leon ’72, Don and
Marion McDougall, John and Margi Nash, Joan and Don Smith.
Andy and Helen Spriet serve as the co-chairs of the Campaign Cabinet made up of the following
individuals: Penny Arvai, Andrea Bezaire ’02, Bill Brennan ’74, John Callaghan ’67, Fred
Galloway, Ryan Gauss ’08, Paul Hogan, Marie Horman ’82, Trevor Hunter ’92, Jennifer Jones
’02, Tim Kavanagh, Erin Lawson, Kelly Schaus, Brent Shea ’80, and David Sylvester.
The Darryl J. King Student Life Centre officially opened its doors on January 8, 2014, and
illustrates the impact donor support can have on enriching the student experience. This beautiful
new building has quickly become the gathering place for the King’s community. The King
Centre incorporates a variety of spaces created to serve students, including a learning commons,
café, theatre, student services, meeting rooms, fitness centre, games room, classrooms and office
space for the King’s University College Students’ Council. Prior to the official opening, donors
and friends were invited to a “hard hat” mandatory sneak peek of the King Centre on September
28, 2013. The event featured a thank you video, delicious French pastries and the unveiling of the
Student Life Campaign donor wall.
Funding for the second priority of the Student Life Campaign, scholarships and bursaries,
continue to exceed expectations, with over $1.7 of our $1.5 million goal raised as of April 30,
2013.
King’s University College Foundation supported over 280 students with approximately $250,000
in funding through student awards and bursaries this year.
The following new awards were approved by the Scholarship and Bursary Committee in 2013-14:
I. Jeremy Bowley Memorial Award
II. Gaudium et Spes (Hope and Joy)Entrance Award
III. Jenya Hayhoe Award in Support of Volunteerism
IV. Dr. Peter McMahon Award
V. Jennifer Mercanti Award in English and/or Philosophy
VI. Nowlan Award in Political Science
VII. Jackie Ross Award in Disability Studies
VIII. Jonathan Sullivan Memorial Award
IX. Joshua Switzer Memorial Award
King’s University College Foundation received 118 gifts of over $1,000 this year. These gifts
were received from individuals, corporations and foundations that have an interest in supporting
the mission of King’s University College and its students.
The Foundation received over $45,000 in donations through the annual fund solicitation in
support of the College’s highest priority needs, the Student Life Campaign. As of April 30, 2014,
a total of 80 seats have been purchased. Over 145 donors supported the annual fund program with
an average gift of $303.
The theatre seat program continued this year, offering donors the opportunity to a purchase a seat
in the Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre in the Darryl J. King Student Life Centre for $1,000. A
name plaque will be attached to the seat.
The 18th annual King’s Golf Classic took place in September at Highland Country Club. Thanks
to the support of sponsors and participants, the event raised a gross total of over $66,000
(approximately $42,000 net) for the highest priority needs of the College. The event was a sell-
out and raised more money than any other year in the tournament’s history. Participants enjoyed
competition, BBQ lunch, buffet dinner and numerous prizes generously donated by our sponsors
and local businesses.
In celebration of annual Philanthropy Day, King’s held our second Tag Day on November 13,
2013. Green tags were posted around campus to help raise awareness of the array of projects and
important elements on campus that have been made possible thanks to the generous support of
our donors.
Over 135 alumni and friend connections and cultivation visits were made by Dr. David Sylvester
and/or Erin Lawson and the Foundation and Office of Alumni Affairs team in the last fiscal year.
ENHANCING THE CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT: PHYSICAL PLANT
In October 2013 Chris MacNeil was hired as Facilities Manager. In addition to taking on
responsibility for custodial, housekeeping and grounds, this new position will deputize for
the Director of Physical Plant. This is already paying dividends in improved morale and
communications within the department.
To cover for long term absences, restricted/light duties and short term absences we have
continued to use Derby Staffing (now called ABL Employment Inc.) for the provision of
custodians and housekeepers. During most of the term they supplied either two or three
custodians. All their personnel have to undergo criminal and vulnerable person checks.
The average absence for sickness and family illness within the Physical Plant Department
was over 10.7 days per person which is down by one and a half days from last year. The
absence rate is of particular concern for the housekeepers and custodians with four people
missing more than 20 days in the year. Two staff members are taking part in the
Attendance Management Programme.
ADMINISTRATION AND RECEPTION
Debbie O’Brien was assisted by Jeni Somerton. Two students worked in reception during
the summer and six students (2 Work Study and 4 Contract) worked during term. One
Work Study student worked with Debbie in her office. For a second year we hired an
Environmental and Sustainability Intern who worked over the summer months. This
contract was then extended to April 2014 so that work on the King Centre LEED
certification could be coordinated.
The Reception Office administered the work order system with 2021 work orders
processed during the year. This is an 18% increase over last year. Of these, 285 were
Health and Safety related. At year end only 18 work orders were outstanding.
The switchboard supports 604 extensions (up 28 from last year) and 738 voice mail users
in addition to 43 external lines for faxes, modems and private lines. In June 2013 the
telephone system was replaced by Telus. The old system was obsolete (hardware and
software) and had no capacity for adding extra extensions. This upgrade was completed
over a weekend with no disruption to service.
Following the appointment of Chris MacNeil as Facilities Manager, Alan Daw and
Debbie O’Brien were able to return to their normal administrative duties.
SECURITY AND SAFETY
The Video Monitoring Committee met once during the year. There are now 55 cameras
installed across campus including 15 which were added in the King Centre. Most of the
incidents were related to the Student Code of Conduct. Security can now monitor all
camera locations from their new office in the King Centre.
CCPS carried out an average of 140 regular patrols of the King’s campus per month (up
from 134 last year). In addition CCPS responded to 56 incidents which is almost identical
to last year. The main incidents requiring CCPS investigation were: Alcohol (4); Drugs
(3); Theft (10); Medical (5); Fire Alarm (6); Harassment (3); Assault (3); Motor Vehicle
(2); Missing Person (1) and Vandalism (1).
Some of the more notable incidents:
Non-student harassing students in library
Resident student assessed under the Mental Health Act as suicide risk
Father of student issued trespass notice
Taxi crashed through fence at Waterloo and Epworth
Resident student threatened roommate with a knife
Student arrested for possession of stolen phones
CCPS and City Police investigated a reported sexual assault
Safety plan developed for student who was being stalked
King’s resident arrested on main campus under the Liquor Licence Act
Tutor from Western warned for inappropriate advances to 3 staff members
CCPS followed up on off-campus assault involving two King’s students
During move-out a student’s possessions were stolen from the curb
The Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) met four times during the year with the
Director of Physical Plant acting as management co-chair. Items dealt with included:
Safety inspection of the Mount
Review of all accidents
First Aid training
JHSC information available on line
AODA issues across campus
Requirement for all employees to be trained in basic safety awareness
Addition of panic buttons in Social Work
Review of all safety work orders
Members of the JHSC carried out workplace safety inspections covering all areas of
campus.
All Physical Plant staff working with chemicals received Workplace Hazardous Materials
Information System (WHMIS) training. Training sessions were held covering lifting
techniques as well as slips, trips and falls. Maintenance staff were trained in electrical
safety. A training session was held covering asbestos.
An ergonomics workshop was offered to all staff.
EMERGENCY PLANNING
The Director of Physical Plant maintained liaison with the W.U. Emergency Response
Committee.
The King’s Emergency Response Plan is being updated to reflect recent changes.
The EOCG used the BBM system on nine occasions to coordinate the response to various
occurrences:
11th
September Tornado warning - students and staff taking shelter in basement areas
across campus
20th
September Heavy rain caused flooding in Townhouse 1, 2, 3 and in the DLH boiler
room
6th
October Heavy rain but no flooding
4th
November Problem with e-mail
24th
November Heavy snow fall - Feast of Christ the King cancelled
28th
November Heavy snow
6th
January Snow and wind chill. Classes cancelled and opening of King Centre
delayed
31st March Problems with mail server
12th
May Monitored Western’s emergency exercise
Fire drills were conducted for all residences and major buildings. These were carried out
in conjunction with UWO Fire Services and the City of London Fire Department. A
training session was held for those involved at the end of the drills. Thirty-one King’s
employees took part in the training.
PARKING
Two parking attendants cover the Wemple and Diocese parking lots from 7:00 a.m. to
3:00 p.m., while from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. only the Wemple lot is attended. The cost
for pay per use parking remained at $5.00 per visit. The cost of guaranteed parking,
allowing unlimited parking at King’s, was raised to $780, up $50 from last year. A total
of 75 transponders were sold to students plus 102 stickers for the residence lot and
Broughdale Hall. There are currently 505 active transponders used by faculty, staff, board
members, etc. The total number of transponders is up 31 from last year. Total parking
revenue for the year was $198,000 (up 3.6%). This is made up of guaranteed parking of
approximately $125,000 with the balance being the daily pay per use cash receipts. In
accordance with our parking agreement with the Diocese the net receipts for that parking
lot are split with the Diocese. Seventy three parking tickets were issued but payment was
only received from half as we are not allowed to cross-reference tickets with our student
data base.
HOUSEHOLD SERVICES AND GROUNDSKEEPING
Chris MacNeil, hired in October 2013 as Facilities Manager, is responsible for household
services and groundskeeping. Some of the initiatives taken to improve communication and
performance include:
Documentation of specific custodial and housekeeping duties
Documentation of event set-ups
Monthly meeting for each shift
Monthly meeting for lead custodians and groundskeeper
Tracking of work orders and set up
Working with maintenance on safety procedures
Daily shift reports
Tool and equipment documentation and sign out
Housekeeper meetings prior to conferences
ENVIRONMENT and SUSTAINABILITY
Once again King’s hired a Master’s student from Western’s Environment and
Sustainability programme to work over the summer. This was extended to cover the
balance of the academic year and coordinate the LEED work on the King Centre.
Western presented Michael Tattersall with a Green Award which he accepted on behalf of
King’s.
The following describes the various Environment & Sustainability initiatives that have
been introduced, completed or are ongoing at King’s University College over the past
year.
Environment & Sustainability Policy
This policy states King’s commitment to providing its community with a sustainable
campus that supports environmental and sustainability initiatives. The policy describes
sustainable development and resource management at King’s and demonstrates the
requirement for campus wide leadership in environmental stewardship. This is currently
being reviewed by the newly formed Environment and Sustainability Committee.
Campus Utility Audit
King’s monthly natural gas, hydro and water usage has been tracked via Excel
spreadsheets since 2010. This data provides a baseline for determining King’s energy
footprint. An energy footprint can be used to determine energy-saving measures on
campus, such as upgrading HVAC equipment to run more efficiently or installing
motion-sensor lighting in office areas. This data is critical in transitioning towards a more
energy efficient and sustainable campus.
Environmental Awareness Projects
Spreading awareness about the campus’ environmental initiatives is imperative in gaining
support from the campus community. Prior to the events listed below, many people at
King’s were not aware of the many environmental initiatives on campus.
King’s Green Fest Poster Display
Green Fest offered King’s the opportunity to show the community the various
environmental initiatives that have been accomplished. A poster display was developed
for the event (King’s ECO Initiatives), as well as informational handouts on how to be
green at work and at home, and how to get involved in various environmental initiatives
on campus. The poster display featured the new Darryl J. King Student Life Centre
LEED Certification, solar panels, Chimney Swifts, campus utility audit, the Green Team,
student involvement, and sustainability tips.
King’s Green Tours
In November 2013 the first green campus tour was held with a group from a local high
school. The students were shown around campus while receiving information regarding
the solar panels, Chimney Swifts, the new Darryl J. King Student Life Centre LEED
Certification and its components, and how the King’s community is moving towards a
more sustainable campus.
These tours are an excellent way to highlight the environmental accomplishments at
King’s and teach students about the importance of environmental sustainability.
Enviro Week
The KUCSC Environmental Commissioners and the Environmental King’s Organization
(EKO) Club put Enviro Week together every fall in order to increase environmental
awareness and provide environmentally conscious events and activities. This year the
Environment & Sustainability Intern assisted with the week and put on two events.
Eco Scavenger Hunt
This activity required students to find and read “Sustainability at King’s” posters around
campus and answer various environmental questions. Topics of the posters included
Recycling, Compost and Waste Management, Sustainable Buildings, and Energy and
Water.
Electronic Waste Collection Day
In collaboration with Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) King’s was able to collect
0.710 tonnes of electronic waste from the King’s community. This waste is recycled
properly by OES, rather than being disposed of in landfills, which is harmful to the
environment. The event also produced a profit of $131.35 for King’s Green Fund.
Solar Panels
At King’s we have two rooftop solar panel operations - Labatt Hall (installed in 2013)
and Wemple Building (installed in 2011). They have a 20 kW capacity. In the last year
King’s has generated almost 17,000 kWh of renewable electricity and diverted almost
two tonnes of CO2 emissions from being emitted into the atmosphere. Since May 1, 2013
the panels have generated $15,582.49 in revenue and over $52,000 since the initial
installation.
Chimney Swifts
Chimney Swifts are a threatened bird species under both provincial and federal
legislation. At King’s, the birds are found in the Wemple Building chimney during the
fall. During September 2013 1604 Swifts were found roosting in the chimney, which is
the highest number of swifts tallied in a single building on a single night since monitoring
began in 2003. King’s has been integral in allowing the birds to roost in the Wemple
chimney, and is urged to continue to do so.
Darryl J. King Student Life Centre Silver LEED Certification
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is an Internationally
recognized certification system run by the Canada Green Building Council. The system is
intended to help building owners and operators find and implement ways to be
environmentally responsible and resource-efficient. It focuses on energy savings, water
efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and
stewardship of resources. The following summarizes the components of the Darryl J.
King Student Life Centre Silver LEED program:
Site
Development
Materials Indoor
Environmental
Quality
Energy
Efficiency
Water
Efficiency
Green
Housekeeping
Program and
Policy
Recycling and
Waste
Management
Plan
- Public transit
- Bicycle
storage
- Low-
maintenance
landscaping
- Green roof
- Minimize
urban heat-
island effect
- Locally
manufactured
and extracted
- High-
recycled
content
- Forest
Stewardship
Council (FSC)
Certified
wood
- Waste
management
and recycling
program for
all
construction
materials
- All materials
installed contain
low, or no
VOC’s
- Indoor air
quality testing
prior to
occupancy
- Windows to
provide
abundance of
daylight
- Energy
Recovery and
- Custom Air
Handling
Unit
- Lighting
occupancy
sensors
- Demand
controlled
ventilation
- 27%
reduction in
annual energy
costs
- Installation
of a 25m3
cistern
- 48%
reduction
indoor
potable
water use
- Drought-
tolerant/nati
ve species
- Water
efficient
fixtures
- 26% water
savings
- Reduce
exposure to
potentially
hazardous
materials
- Eco-Logo and
Green Seal
certified
products
- Controlled
chemical use
- Streamlined
recycling and
waste
containers
- 3 streams
Paper,
Co-mingled
Containers, and
Landfill
- E-waste
collection bins
In addition to these components, there is also a Green Education Interactive Kiosk and
Pamphlet in the building that are designed to educate the community on the various
components of the LEED building, as well as other environmental initiatives at King’s.
Waste Management and Recycling
Composting in the Cafeteria
The compost program is a result of a cafeteria waste audit that indicated approximately
11% of waste could be composted. The program was launched in the cafeteria in
November 2013 during Enviro Week. A second waste audit was completed in January
2014 to determine if the compost bins are being used. The results of this audit indicate
that approximately 20% of waste could be composted. As a result, we have increased
signage in the cafeteria to help patrons determine how to dispose of their waste properly.
Another follow-up waste audit will be completed to determine the success of the new
signs.
Cafeteria recycling, compost and waste management awareness campaign
During Enviro Week first year students were stationed in the cafeteria during lunch hours
to assist in sorting waste properly. Those that sorted their waste properly were entered
into a draw to win a prize. Flyers were also handed out that listed how to sort waste
properly in the cafeteria.
Streamlined Approach
A survey of all campus waste and recycling bins indicates that there is a variety of
different types of bins and signs used. A streamlined approach will be taken by
developing one set of signs and bins that will be used campus-wide. (In progress)
Waste Management Policy Draft
In order to be able to set goals, and follow a streamlined approach, a waste management
policy will be developed for King’s. (In progress)
The Regis Article
An article for The Regis student magazine at King’s was written for the first 2014 issue.
This article gave an overview of the importance of environmental sustainability on
campus and the recent initiatives taking place on campus.
MAINTENANCE
John Hessey, Jim Fletcher and Mark Pyne are responsible for all maintenance work
across campus.
Some of the major work carried out includes:
o Preventive maintenance on all HVAC systems
o Replacement of townhouse doors
o Water softener replaced in DLH
o Install statues at King Centre
o Solar panels on Labatt Hall
o Upgrade exterior lighting to LED
o Exterior caulking at Wemple
o Modify old games room for offices and computer lab
o Repaired sink hole in P3
o Electrical upgrades in Wemple
o Construction of a Muslim prayer room
o Renovation of the old KUCSC offices
o Renovate LH 220
o Installation of a new outdoor freezer for Aramark
o Replace Alumni Court boilers
NEIGHBOURHOOD ISSUES
There was only minimal interaction with neighbours and neighbourhood issues. The
Director of Physical Plant met with the other owners on the Epworth Place Residents
Association. Part of the fence adjacent to Broughdale Hall has now been replaced at the
owner’s expense.
MAJOR PROJECTS
In May 2013 the King Centre was on track for completion by the start of classes in
September. At the end of June we were notified that the electrical subcontractor,
Comstock, had gone bankrupt. K & L, the general contractor, was able to hire a new
subcontractor in July and they undertook a detailed review of the electrical work still to
be completed. This was finished in August and indicated that the remaining electrical
work could not be completed until close to year end. As the three new classrooms were
urgently needed for the start of the school year in September it was decided that we
would apply for partial occupancy covering the three classrooms with access from the
sunken garden. This was achieved and the Fire Department signed off on the classroom
use with one day to spare.
Work continued in the rest of the building and the interior was ready for furniture
delivery and installation in December. The grand opening was held on 7th
January
following a one day delay due to the weather. Exterior work including landscaping was
completed in May. In spite of the delays the project was completed within budget.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Mission Statement The mission of Information Technology Services is to provide
innovative, contemporary and accessible technology within the service
scope of efficiency, confidentiality and integrity to enable and engage
the students, faculty and staff of King’s University College in meeting
their goals as a collaborative community.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICE UPDATES
WIRELESS AND NEWTORK INFRASTUCTURE
Over 150 wireless access points were installed at the College to provide seamless coverage across
all buildings and many outdoor areas. Each access point required cabling back to a local
communications closet where managed switches were replaced with gigabit Power Over Ethernet
models. All wired services were patched into the new switches and fiber media converters
replaced – well over 2000 ports in 14 buildings.
SOPHOS EMAIL GATEWAY
A Sophos virtual email appliance was installed to scan all incoming and outgoing emails. This
has virtually eliminated most spam and other email threats at the gateway before they hit the mail
server. The Sophos appliance has numerous enterprise features such as Live Anti-Spam, Sender
Genotype, Behavioural Genotype anti-malware, SPX Encryption, a Web-based management
console and complete reporting.
RESIDENCE PHONE SYSTEM UPGRADE
The College phone system for the residence was upgraded to include an IP-based component to
connect the mini-PBX panels to the primary panel located in W031. This installation required the
creation and configuration of two separate VLANs within our switch environment. We worked
closely with the installation technician to configure and test the phone system.
CREATION OF NEW COMPUTER WORKSPACE
Following many of the design principles developed for the updated computer lab in W044, we
created a space for multiple uses in W022. The number of computers, outlets, and importance of
wireless access were all considered. The workspace includes areas for individual work, group
work, instruction, and has a multi-function printer for student and staff use. The workspace has
been very successful with minimal changes planned for the 2014-2015 academic year.
EXPANSION OF HEARTLAND 1CARD SYSTEM TO INCLUDE PAPERCUT AND SUPPORT
FOR MORE USERS
Initially the Heartland 1Card system focused primarily on students in residence for laundry and
door access. With the implementation of PaperCut for print/copy use across campus the system
was expanded to include all undergraduate, graduate, staff, and faculty members at King’s. A
system was also developed for those members of the UWO community who wished to use the
system. This utilized an online form developed by our web developer and scripts developed by
the client supervisor and our application developer.
EXPANSION OF HEARTLAND 1CARD SYSTEM TO THE KING CENTRE
Three new multidoor controllers were installed to handle door access in the King Centre. There
were some challenges associated with it being such an open building but working with Security
and Physical Plant these were resolved quickly. The system has shown itself to be very flexible
with the differing demands that the College requires.
END-USER WORKSTATION UPGRADES
Many new systems deployed across the College to replace aging or problematic workstations
based on inventory and support records. ITS is now looking after systems for the Dean of
Students’ SSD group and many new and unique systems were deployed. 17 exam laptops (of
which three were tablets) plus one access lab desktop were deployed to that unit and two student
loaner laptops. There is considerable work in configuring these systems with the appropriate
software, security and monitoring configuration, and reconfigurations due to changes in
preferences.
New virtual bulletin board systems were deployed to the International Office and the Student
Financial Services office. While the system deployments were rather straightforward there was
considerable training to describe how to use VNC viewer to update the presentations, how to turn
on the various related screens, and how to configure PowerPoint to run automatically.
MOBILE DEVICE DEPLOYMENTS
11 new Blackberry BB10 devices were deployed to users over the course of the academic year.
These deployments required some configuration prior to deployment including a consolidation of
user accounts and passwords across our file server, active directory, local systems, and sometimes
UWO accounts. Scott McKendrick did excellent work training users on the new devices. This
one-hour training included:
• Navigating the BBOS through learning crucial swipe gestures
• Understanding how the BB hub works
• Accessing the Work Space, and the Work Drive
• Using BBM (Groups, Screen sharing, Video Chat, Glympse, etc)
• Configuring Notifications
• Using Voice Commands
• Opening and editing Office documents
• Calling and manipulating calls (such as recording a call note, opening
other apps while on a call)
• Using quick gestures when typing
• Configuring and consolidating contacts
CONTINUED VIRTUALIZATION OF SYSTEMS
A number of systems were transitioned from physical out-dated servers to our virtual
environment. These included the Honeywell HVAC system, the TimeTronics Parking system,
and the Telus Phonemaster system. Following these migrations was training for end users on new
ways to configure and access these servers and the software packages on them.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW CALENDAR SYSTEM: CALCIUM
A new, more robust calendar server was installed. Migration from the old system is ongoing but
Calcium has shown itself to work better with more complex calendars, better security
mechanisms, and better permissions management.
INTRODUCTION OF NEW ACTIVE DIRECTORY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE:
ADMANAGER PLUS
As our Active Directory continues to evolve and become more mission critical, we have
introduced a web application to assist other departments in managing those parts of AD for which
they are responsible. The implementation of this will include templates for new employees, easy
updating of offices and other information changes, and easy report management.
VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT HARDWARE EXPANSION
ITS upgraded the memory on the two existing ESXi hosts from 98GB to 196GB and we added a
new IBM server and SAN to our virtual environment. These upgrades allowed us to continue to
grow our virtual environment and virtually eliminated downtimes from server failures. We are
now able to withstand the loss of a server due to planned or unplanned downtime without any
disruptions to our virtual environment. With the added capacity it also allows us to implement test
environments which enables smoother transitions into our production environment.
VMWARE VSHIELD ENDPOINT
We implemented VMware vShield Endpoint which lets us manage anti-virus and anti-malware
policies in our virtual environment. Endpoint allows us to offload AV processing to a secure and
hardened virtual appliance thus improving our consolidation ratios and performance. We are
now able to deploy more virtual servers per host due to the fact that we eliminated the need to
install a traditional AV client in the OS. Endpoint also automates anti-virus and anti-malware
deployment and monitoring.
DISASTER RECOVERY
We designed and tested an offsite DR environment consisting of two Dell servers and a SAN
which are to be located in the UWO datacenter. Due to cutbacks, funding for this high
availability DR project was eliminated and completion will be done in the 2014-2015 year. By
utilizing Veeam daily replication jobs we will be able to replicate our entire virtual environment
to our DR site. We also implemented a local SAN with 45TB of storage which gives us a fast,
high redundancy network repository which allows us to retain longer backups and archives of the
entire virtual environment.
NINITE PRO
Ninite Pro was implemented to provide automatic installation and updating of popular
applications on all workstations. The software allows us to silently install/update applications
such as Java, Adobe Reader, Flash Player etc. on multiple PCs simultaneously. It also gives us the
option to turn off the annoying and frequent update notifications from applications such as Java
and Adobe Reader since Ninite can handle updates in the background.
CREATION OF ONLINE HELP DOCUMENTATION IN MULTIPLE FORMATS
We have begun a move to standardize all of our help documentation and offer it in a variety of
formats to increase their overall usefulness as well as making them more accessible. The process
is ongoing but there are approximately 40 topics that have been standardized and which are in the
process of being finalized. When completed, the documents will be available as HTML,
PowerPoint, and in video format.
EXPANSION OF HELP DESK OFFERINGS
We have continued to enhance our Help Desk offerings through additional training and
responsibilities for our work study students. Students, faculty, and staff are assisted in a prompt
manner and many issues are resolved with one visit to our helpdesk. Scott’s work in
standardizing processes and ensuring prompt completion and verbose communication has
enhanced our service in this area. He continues to innovate and learn from others to the benefit of
all our clients.
EXPANDED OWL AND CLASS PLANNING SUPPORT
This year saw another increase of professors utilizing assistance for their OWL classes. New
users find the best way to immerse them in the technology is to begin by utilizing the system for
grade management, posting their syllabus, announcements, and some forums. Many members of
our community are not currently utilizing our technological offerings to their fullest. This may
be a combination of fear of integrating the technology into the classroom and some hesitation
from a pedagogical stance. Working with a number of professors we have discussed how
technology can be utilized in such a way as to enhance communication within and without the
classroom setting. I am confident that we will continue to expand the use of technology in such a
fashion as to provide an even better learning experience for our students.
VIDEO BULLETIN BOARD V2.0
The 7 year old VBB system was showing its age. VBB 2.0 is an HTML 5 based application
utilizing JSON, jquery and ColdFusion to create a single point of information distribution. The
King’s twitter feed, local weather, time and class cancellations are easily viewable and the
system includes emergency messaging capability with remote administration. New features also
include user preview of messages, an automated message approval process and an admin
interface to edit or delete previously posted messages.
APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
It should be noted that the needs of the Administrative Review Working Group required the
participation of the Application Programmer resulting in fewer realized projects than usual with
some delayed or postponed. While the outcome of the ARWG will serve the College for years to
come, it did involve the creation of electronic documents, a web site and 19 meetings between
August 2013 and January 2014.
GSS APPROVAL HISTORY INTERFACE
Requested by ADO/Soulodre-LaFrance, the GSS Approval History Interface is a tool for use by
the Academic Dean that extends the ability to review grades that have been approved for all years
that GSS has been in use (8). Additionally, the interface allows for the display of sortable inline
grade statistics and downloading of approved class data in CSV format for offline review.
GSS EXAM INFORMATION REQUEST V2.0
Requested by REGISTRAR/Noseworthy, version 2 of the GSS Exam Information Request is
comprised of two distinct interfaces to the Registrar (admin) and to Faculty. The administrative
interface allows configuration of the system including form control, exam enrolment cache, a
report generation tool that creates a master exam list for use by the Registrar’s office, and a
notification system that can be configured to contact all or specific portions of faculty with
custom message attributes. Additionally, the configuration system automatically and dynamically
creates GSS class files from a single upload file saving Sandra Noseworthy several hours of time;
prior to this, Sandra had to manually create hundreds of class files from text files. Another benefit
resultant of this update means that GSS class lists can be updated more frequently.
The Faculty interface displays courses that the faculty member is enrolled to teach for the current
academic term; this data comes from configuration as set in the admin interface. Professors
simply click on the courses listed in the faculty interface and supply exam information.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES PORTAL Requested by FINANCE/Fidler/Guerin/Major, the Student Financial Services Portal incorporates
two discrete interfaces to Finance (admin) and to Students. The administrative interface allows
Finance to interactively control logins and invoice statement display state, a message of the day
system with message modes (i.e. “normal” and “warning”) that display custom messages to
students within the student interface, and facilities to search and upload student data. The student
interface allows online review and downloading of invoice statements through a selectable
month-year interface.
EMERGENCY MESSAGE INTERFACE AND API
Requested by ITS/Jory, – the Emergency Message Interface and API is a system that allows
managed access to a system that generates Emergency Messages with four different states each
with varying degrees of importance “Critical”, “Warning”, “Ended” and “Stop”. An API was
created in conjunction with the system to allow interactive polling of emergency messages. At
this time, the Video Bulletin Board system polls this API at regular intervals and displays
emergency messages as they are generated. Thankfully, we’ve only had to use this system for test
broadcasts. In the near future, the API will be used by the King’s web site to display emergency
messages site-wide.
RAMP RECON
ITS/McKendrick – As of the end of April 2014, UWO no longer allowed email to be relayed
through their SMTP servers. As a consequence, many applications and services at King’s
required configuration updates to utilize our own SMTP server to do all the ‘heavy lifting’. One
of the side-effects of this change meant changing the Global Address List in our Exchange
environment, which impacted user information searches via myKing’s and KDAP. Those services
utilize LDAP queries to deliver requested data, such as username/email addresses, to the user.
Unfortunately, this made reconciling usernames for some of our IT staff difficult as they would
now present as King’s email addresses. Scott inquired if there was a way to reconcile usernames
to prevent the need to consult multiple systems when using RAMP. Thus, RAMP Recon was
created. This tool allows searches to be performed using key terms such as full or partial office
location, names or UWO email addresses. Search results can be sorted by all presented attributes.
Clicking on search results will display all of the RAMP entries that are registered to the user in
question and there has been very positive feedback about this tool from our IT Support
technicians. Originally intended to be a stopgap tool, there are future implementation and
integration possibilities for other applications.
WEB PROJECT REQUEST FORM
ITS/Jory/Morrison – In an effort to streamline web project requests and to ensure all required
information is supplied by the requesting individual/department, the Web Project Request Form
was implemented to act as an initial step in the lifecycle of project development. Upon form
submission, a project request receipt is issued to the requestor and a notification is sent to the
King’s web team. Additionally, submissions are stored in a database for long-storage and
reference as required. The form was designed to utilize the Bootstrap responsive presentation
framework and scales to the device it is accessed by. The form is an ‘interim version’; the
forthcoming version of the Work Request Database will utilize a similar form with more options
for the requestor/end user.
IN-PROGRESS The new Work Request Database system first phase release has been delayed by other priorities
and initiatives as outlined in this document. Despite this, there were opportunities throughout
2013 – 2014 to research and develop some of the key infrastructure elements of this new system.
These elements include a user policy interface, notifications system, task interface, a graph server
and API, and integration with the Bootstrap responsive presentation framework. At the time of
this writing, it is expected that the first phase of the WRDB will be presented in July 2014.
INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA SERVICES
The past year has been, by far, the busiest year ever experienced by the Instructional Media
Services arm of the ITS department. As the tools of education continue to become more and more
advanced, and as teachers and students the world over look to computers and other visual aids to
assist them in the classroom, it has been imperative that King’s remain ahead of the curve.
To this end, King’s ITS has worked hard to ensure that classroom multimedia equipment is
readily available for users at all times and in all classrooms and meeting spaces including the new
classrooms and meeting rooms in the Darryl J. King Student Life Centre that opened in January.
Naturally, these new spaces were provided with a full complement of A/V equipment. This brings
the total number of “smart” spaces at King’s to fifty-seven!
The equipment employed at King’s is modern, providing HDMI connectivity for the most up-to-
date computer systems. The projectors are bright and vibrant, providing an optimal experience
for students who have come to expect a high standard within our classrooms. And the equipment
is user-friendly, utilizing Tru-Link Audio/Visual control panels where possible to maximize up-
time and eliminate the traditional learning curve required to operate A/V equipment in the past.
Over the past two years, King’s ITS has been replacing antiquated equipment that utilized only
analog video technology with new digital projectors and presentation computer systems. This
summer, that transition will be complete and all classroom multimedia projectors will have
digital capabilities.
Additionally, this past year has seen dramatic increases in the demand for video recording,
streaming and conferencing at King’s. Presentations, seminars and lectures are being recorded on
a regular basis for professors to post online for the benefit of their students or to evaluate
presenters for grading purposes. Interviews of potential faculty members are now being recorded
as a matter of course. Also, Centre for Social Concern events, the Religious Life Lecture series,
the King’s Chamber Choir, the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Dean of Students office and nearly every
department at King’s has taken advantage of the video recording service offered by King’s ITS, a
service that includes providing DVD’s or digital files for posting online. Demand for video
recording services will only increase in the future and the department’s capabilities and efficiency
in this regard will continue to grow to meet the demand.
King’s ITS has also started providing live video streaming capabilities for large events held at
King’s. Convocation, the King’s University College Students’ Council Fashion Show, the King’s
Players major theatrical performance of Little Shop of Horrors and even several KUCSC
meetings and debates were streamed live for audiences that could not be at King’s in person.
Video conferencing is nothing new to King’s ITS; the department has been using Skype and
Cisco’s WebEx for interviews and meetings for several years. However, this year saw several full
lectures given to King’s classes by presenters who not only were not at King’s, but weren’t even
in the country. Professors like Stephanie Bangarth, Ruth Yu, Rachel Birnbaum, Antonio
Calcagno, Laszlo Sarkany, Laura Beres and others have used Skype in the classroom to welcome
guest lecturers from all across Canada and the world. These presentations have included two-way
question and answer periods giving students at King’s a learning opportunity that was not
possible just a few years ago. Last month, the Centre for Social concern held a presentation in the
Vitali Student Lounge by Dr. James Beck from the University of Calgary. Rather than fly Dr.
Beck to London, he delivered his presentation from his home and conducted a lively conversation
with those in attendance here in London.
As professors, staff and students become more comfortable holding video conferences, guest
lectures and bi-directional dialogue via Skype, WebEx and other similar virtual solutions, the
demand for this type of service is only going to grow, and King’s ITS is ready to accept the
challenge.
It’s not just within the classroom where King’s ITS has seen dramatic increases in demand for
audio/visual technology. The Kenney Theatre has brought with it new set of challenges for
King’s ITS to meet. The lighting, audio and video components of any auditorium are extremely
important and the ITS Department has been tasked with ensuring that the Theatre is fully
equipped and operational. Working in conjunction with Residence & Conference Services and the
KUCSC, ITS has played a significant role in nearly every event to take place in the Theatre to
date. This role as event planner/coordinator and on-site sound/lighting/video operator, while not
necessarily new, has become much more prevalent since the Theatre opened its doors for the first
time in January. The people of King’s have wholeheartedly embraced the Kenney Theatre and it
can be expected that the demands on the service provided by King’s ITS within the Theatre will
grow exponentially in the coming year.
Audio/Visual technology plays a important role in nearly every aspect of life at King’s. From the
classroom to the meeting room to the boardroom to the auditorium, King’s ITS is there to support
and serve staff, students and faculty. Considering the trends of the past year, and, indeed, the past
decade, it can be expected that this aspect of King’s ITS will continue to be called upon in a
significant way well into the future.
WEB PROJECTS
CANADIAN POPULATION SOCIETY
The Canadian Population Society web site had been handed off from university to university and
portions of the site were on servers in multiple provinces. A Sociology faculty member at King’s
asked if ITS could resurrect the site and add a modern layout, online registration and payment
capability. The site is now registered and hosted locally by King’s ITS.
www.canpopsoc.ca
KING’S STUDENT’S COUNCIL
The KUCSC web site was redesigned in early 2014 and is now a fully responsive site viewable
on all computers, tablets and mobile devices.
www.kucsc.ca
KING’S MODEL UN
The King’s Model UN is run every year by the Model UN student group, Political Science
Department and the Registrar’s Office. Students attending the Model UN can visit the site to view
lectures and download slides and files as they prepare for the debates. The site now includes a
full width slide show, a responsive design for all devices, participant registration forms and
embedded video.
Kmun.kings.uwo.ca
ONLINE FORMS
Forms for event registration, data collection, mass email contact, on-line payment are a regular
request. Here are a few examples:
• Predicted International Baccalaureate (IB) Grades – for
international students in the IB diploma program
• Ask a Liaison Officer – allows prospective students to send an information request directly to a
specific liaison officer
AODA compliance requires constant monitoring of site content and design to adhere to best
practices. A and AA compliance has dramatically improved since November of 2013 which
places the King’s website within the acceptable range. Updates to the Content Management
System and style codes will resolve many of the remaining issues and will provide 100% AODA
compliance.
o •Self-Reported Grades – for outside Ontario Canadian high school students to
indicate their grade 11 and 12 mid-year or final grades
o Quick Start Program Application – allows students to register online for the
English Proficiency Quick Start Program
o Parent Information Form – to gather additional information during the SAO
process
o Blended Learning Conference – registration and payment
o High Conflict Families Conference – registration and payment
o King’s Academic Mentor Program – registration and mentor request forms
o Student Mental Health and Wellness Focus Group – registration form
o Admin Working Group – site and feedback forms
o Request for Remote Access to Corporate Data
o Golf Classic Registration
o Academic Appointment Request Form
o PaperCut Add User Form
o VBB forms for TV monitor messaging and administration
o The Expert List – for communications to add, remove or update an online list of
experts at King’s. When the media outlets call, Communications can easily match
their request with an appropriate expert at King’s.
AODA COMPLIANCE
PRINT AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Many print projects previously outsourced to external designers were completed in-house during
the 2013-2014 academic year. The list of print projects could form a separate report, but here are
a few examples:
o Academic Department Brochures
o King’s Golf Classic
o Residence – Parent’s Guide, Move-In Brochure, Residence Guide Book
o Pop-Up Displays
o Summer Academic Orientation
o Viewbook
o International Office International Exchange Fact Sheet
FUTURE PROJECTS AND PLANS
Form A Strategy To Support E-Learning Initiatives
The integration of technology into virtual and face-to-face pedagogy delivery methods has
become an essential component of teaching. Working with the Academic Dean and the Planning
Committee, the time has come to develop an institutional strategy to leverage and support on-line
technology for faculty and students.
Complete The Deployment Of A High Availability Server Infrastructure
ITS has improved the reliability of network resources through the provision of backup power and
redundant virtual servers. The next step – to offer uninterrupted network services should access
to local physical resources be interrupted – was delayed this year due to funding. However, the
design and testing phase was completed in the past year and ITS will be implementing a co-
located virtual system for complete high availability by the fall of 2014.
Wireless ‘N’ Coverage Improvements
Last summer ITS installed and deployed over 150 access points based on RF surveys of each
building. The result provides excellent coverage in all locations with the exception of the upper
level of the 10 townhouse residences. This summer, the weak areas will be augmented with
additional hardware for a seamless student wifi experience.
Instructional Media Services
ITS will continue to upgrade classroom facilities to support new digital projection methods. The
remaining analog projectors will be replaced with digital DLP projectors to satisfy the connection
needs of all computers – old and new.
Virtualization: Moving Beyond The Datacenter To The Desktop
The benefits of virtualizing the College server infrastructure has been a great experience. Costs
have been reduced, server administration is centralized and efficiencies in cooling and electricity
use are significant. ITS continues to evaluate the potential for extending the virtualization concept
to College desktop workstations. For many years the cost of hardware, software licensing and
network infrastructure outweighed the advantages of thin clients. However, with improvements to
the College infrastructure and more cost effective agreements with software vendors, the concept
of virtualized desktops are no longer a distant thought. ITS will continue to evaluate the options
for replacing the conventional PC workstation
THE FINANCIAL PICTURE
Fiscal 2013-2014 was highlighted by the culmination of several years’ work to bring about two
landmark accomplishments. The first was the completion of and occupancy of the Daryl J. King
Student Life Centre in December of 2013. The building quickly and seamlessly became the
central hub of the King’s community and has garnered accolades from all who have used or
visited the location. The second accomplishment was the incorporation of King’s University
College at the University of Western Ontario as of December 31st, 2013. While not as easily
quantified, incorporation of the College is a significant (if not overdue) step in the evolution of
the College by creating a legal foundation on which to build King’s for the next generation. Both
of these large-scale projects highlight the ability of King’s to conceive, manage and accomplish
its stated goals. The backdrop for these accomplishments and for the year in general was an
increasingly constrained operating budget. This year’s budget process was the most difficult in
the past 10 years as the province continues to constrain funding, enrolment becomes increasingly
more competitive and costs continue to increase in major areas. Despite the challenges the
College community worked in collaboration with the Budget Committee to seek out opportunities
to work towards a balanced budget for the year. Overall revenue grew by 3.9% compared to the
prior year due primarily to steady enrolment with 3% tuition increases and a higher number of
international students with an 8% increase in international tuition. Expenses increased by 9.0%
due to increases in the Service Fee to UWO, increases in benefit costs and instructional expenses.
Staffing
The Finance department experienced a year of significant staffing disruptions along with the
disruptions that accompanied the final stages of the conversion to the new Financial Information
System (FIS). The FIS conversion project, led by Phyllis Fidler, officially ended in September of
2013 but continued adaptation and increased comfort with the system was ongoing throughout the
year. The online capabilities continued to develop allowing employee on-line access to personal
PDF, travel, research and payroll along with departmental budgets on an up-to-the-minute basis.
Some of learning curve for staff was delayed or altered due to several leaves, illnesses or changes
within the Finance group. Secondments of Finance employees assisted with coverage. These
secondments generally meant additional work load for the individuals involved and/or
prioritization of existing functions. Replacements were sought on student and temporary contract
basis to cover as much as possible but for the most part the Finance department operated with
multiple vacancies throughout the year and continues to do so currently. The efforts and
willingness of the remaining permanent team members were vital to ensuring service to students
and internal clients continued in accordance with expectations and the department’s internal
mission statement to provide consistent, accurate, professional service to all stakeholders. The
department continued to address the items in the Strategic Plan over which it had direct control
throughout the year.
Projects
The CFO with support from the Finance group was involved in several projects external to the
department. As has been the norm over the last few years, significant time and effort was spent
on negotiations with several groups both internal and external. Ongoing negotiations and
logistical issues related to the incorporation (land severance, pension, contracts, CRA, public
trustee, lawyers) resulted in a significant amount of time and effort to complete in time for the
December 31st, 2013 goal. Final logistics related to proper constitution of the Board and
Membership were completed in time for the February Board/Member’s meeting. After 10 years
of working on this project it is with some measure of pride and relief to have seen it to its
completion.
The completion of the Student Life Centre required detailed attention from the Finance
department.
In December the Central Services office obtained a high-speed, high volume colour print
production unit. This new unit will allow King’s to print numerous items currently sourced
externally at lower prices, with quicker response time and allow for easier alterations. The unit
replaced the existing black and white production unit at a lower price. Finance was able to
negotiate maintaining the existing black and white unit as part of the new lease thereby doubling
our printing capacity.
In January we were notified by our long-term provider of building and general liability insurance
that as a result of our incorporation we would no longer be eligible for coverage under the past
Diocesan plan. An RFP for broker services was undertaken in March and Marsh Canada Ltd. was
selected to provide brokerage services for all of the College’s insurance needs in June of 2014. A
comprehensive review of the College’s insurance needs will be performed with Marsh’s
assistance.
The College's Financial Situation
On May 1st, 2011, the College adopted Canadian Accounting Standards for Not-For-Profit
Organizations (ASNPO). The April 30th, 2013 statements were the first prepared in accordance
with ASNPO which resulted in significant changes to the statements. The statements for April
30th, 2014 had one further format adjustment to reflect the 2013 changes. The Net Assets of the
College have now been amalgamated into one line to include Investment in Net Assets on the
Statement of Financial Position. Unrestricted Net Assets were $31.9 at April 30th, 2014. Note 9
of the statements outlines the details – Unrestricted Funds ($3.8M) and Net Assets of $35.7M.
The negative balance in Unrestricted Funds is a reflection of both the large amount of cash
outflow (SLC, DOL) and the significant non-cash alterations to the financial statements (DCC,
PRB, deferral accounting). The past practice of maintaining a 5% unrestricted reserve in the
Operating Fund needs to be replaced with a mandate to have a balanced budget annually to
preserve financial integrity.
As of May 1st, 2013 another accounting change will be implemented and reflected on the April
30th, 2015 statements. The calculated impact to the Net Assets will be a $10.6M reduction in Net
Assets once the 2014 statements are restated. The changes will better reflect the funded status of
the Pension Plan. The impacts for 2015 should offset some of the large reduction from 2014.
The next triennial valuation on the Retirement Plan for the Employees of King’s University is
required at December 31st, 2016 as a result of a significant improvement in the funded status of
the Pension Plan. The December 31, 2013 valuation showed a decreased funding deficit under
both going- concern ($3.5M, $6.0M in 2013) and wind-up valuations ($1.4M, $10.1M 2013).
The special funding required as a result of the smaller deficits will be approximately $34,000 per
month starting in January 2015 ($107,300 in 2014).
Currently, King’s has no outstanding debt, which should be celebrated as a substantial
achievement. King's University College paid off the last of its debt ($3.5M) in July 2013. As we
have utilized a large portion of “surplus” cash, any future development in the near term will
require access to debt facilities.
Overall our actual revenues exceeded prior year by 3.9%. The increase was primarily due to
increases in tuition fees (3% for domestic, 8% for international). Expenses increased by 9.0%
due to increases in the UWO affiliation fee (12% vs. 11%), employee benefits and instructional
costs. The result will be a financial statement deficit this year. To compare to budgets, non-cash
items (amortization, DCC) need to be removed. Once this is done, a $560,000 cash surplus was
incurred for the year compared to a $328,000 budgeted deficit.
The accompanying charts illustrate the Operating Fund revenue and expenditures:
Investments
Operating investment income for 2013-2014 was $232,761 ($296,682 in 2013). This resulted
from short term investing in high quality government and corporate notes as determined by our
cash flow needs and our investment policy. Foreign exchange revenue amounted to $130,000 as
a result of the decrease in the Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar. The combined
investment and foreign exchange amount was higher than the net budget estimate of $275,000.
Budget 2014-2015
The 2014-2015 budget turned out to be one of the more challenging budgets in the last 10 years.
Departments were asked to reduce their discretionary budgets by 10% from the prior year based
on initial estimations of revenues and increases in expenses. Extensive work, discussions and
negotiation were required to achieve a balanced budget during the process. The balanced budget
was recommended by College Council and approved by the Board in April. The Board voiced its
concern regarding the longer term implications of flat enrolments and increasing costs.
The operating budget includes revenues of $47.6 and expenditures of $47.4M, yielding an
expected budgeted surplus of $184K.
The revenues can be summarized into three major components; student fees (59.4%); grants
(31.3%); ancillary and misc. items (9.3%). The combined impact of the changes in all revenue
lines is expected to be a 2.1% increase in forecasted revenues compared to the 2013-2014 revised
budget. The increases reflect current and anticipated enrolment levels, increases in domestic
(3%) and international (8%) tuitions and increases in residence fees (3%).
The budgeted net grant revenues are expected to decline due to government cuts and lower
enrollments compared to base line years. The additional cuts to grants were expected for the
2014-2015 budget year based on last year’s provincial budget release.
Overall budgeted operating expenses are expected to increase by 1.0% from last year’s budget.
Salaries have been budgeted according to the contracts in place in April for each association and
expected staffing levels resulting in minor increases in compensation costs. The budget
anticipates approximately $1.3M in capital expenditures inclusive of computer and library
additions. Several unknowns will have significant impacts on the budget including, reaching our
enrolment and retention targets for domestic and international students, pension funding
valuations, the provincial government’s ability to fund grants, and completion of discussions with
the Diocese.
Ancillary operations are projected to generate a surplus of $225K for the year. With the addition
of the new auditorium in the SLC and a renewed focus on conference services, future revenue
potential should be higher.
Accounts Payable/Purchasing
As indicated in the introduction to this report, the Accounts Payable role was covered by a
contract employee from March 2014 due to a maternity leave. In addition to the personnel
changes, the conversion to the new system was undertaken in A/P. The processing of purchases
and payment of vendors is a continuously active area 12 months of the year. During the fiscal
year 7,449 invoices were processed which resulted in 1,357 different vendors being paid. The
total outlay of funds through A/P was $24.4 which was up 24.0% from the previous year. This
included $6.5M in payments for capital items and $4.0M to the DOL to complete the
incorporation process.
A/P continues to work to reduce the number of paper cheques issued. This year the number was
decreased by 713 cheques. The level of accuracy and timeliness with which the A/P process has
been performed has remained high despite the transitions and was a noted during the external
audit which found minimal errors during the testing phase.
The Finance Department worked with both internal faculty and external granting agencies to
administer funding for all external grants including grants from the Tri-Council Granting agencies
and the Ministry of Justice. No new external grants were received in the year; however, over
$83,000 in research expenditures relating to outstanding grants were processed.
Student Financial Services
The Finance Department was responsible for the collection and administration of $29.7M in
tuition and residence fees during 2013-2014. The balance of student receivables due at April 30,
2014 was $68,021 (17,375 in 2013) representing 43 accounts. Approximately $40,034 of this
amount is considered uncollectible and has been sent for external collection. Extensive work
with students including financial counseling and education, proactive discussions regarding
outstanding accounts, budgeting, OSAP and loan repayment schedules have been effective in
keeping King's default levels at remarkably low levels. Our continued efforts to increase
communications with students regarding due dates and late penalties, resulted in the amount of
late fees collected during 2013-2014 decreasing by over 9% to $115,502 ($126,966 in 2013).
The Tuition Set-Aside (TSA) Fund which requires reserving the prescribed percentage of tuition
fee increases provided financial assistance of $1,021,651.57 to a total of 522 students throughout
the year for various programs. The TSA funded $97,613.45 for 50 part-time winter work/study
participants and $167,458.50 for 28 full-time summer positions in 2013. The fund also provided
enhanced scholarships for students exhibiting a need component in the amount of $417,800 for
194 entrance students and $174,500 for continuing scholarships for 113 returning students. In
addition the TSA assisted with Entrance Bursaries for 17 first year students with unmet need
through OSAP in the amount of $12,7580, Student Access Guarantee Bursaries provided to 98
students who were identified through the Ontario Student Access Guarantee in the amount of
$97,895, General Bursary funds issued to 12 students in financial need in the amount of
$23,593.62 and Summer Volunteer Bursaries for 10 students who volunteered their time in the
summer and those hours are recognized with a bursary for a total of $18,500 applied towards
their fees. The Foundation funded awards totaling $250, 788.41 and were provided to 268 students.
The College also funded an additional $835,577.69 in various other scholarships and bursaries
programs and supported 54 students with $105,771 government bursaries and scholarships funded
by OSAP.
Throughout the year 458 appointments were booked directly with the Student Financial Services
Officer and thousands of other drop-in visits and questions were answered during the year by the
SFS staff.
The Student Financial Services Office also processes all OSAP applications during the fall and
winter semesters. This year students received 2122 OSAP assessments; which is more than half
of our full time student population. Unfortunately, there is still no agreement with UWO related
to summer students and our students must process summer OSAP with UWO personnel during
the summer months.
The continuous changes to the Ontario Tuition Rebate (30%) program caused an increase in
inquiries to our office as the students were directed back to financial aid offices with any
questions about the program. The process can be time consuming depending on the level of
attention needed by the student and results in multiple meetings with the student and parents.
The Finance department continued to play an important role in attracting and retaining students
through proactive financial counseling and contact with students at liaison events and high school
visits. Thirty-nine high schools requested Financial Aid /OSAP Presentations during the year and
an additional two financial aid workshops were given to high school guidance counselors and
prospective students and their parents. There were three open houses on Saturdays during the
year that the Finance department also participated in.
In 2013, King’s was awarded a First Generation Grant which allowed for First in Family students
to gain employment on campus, similar to the financial aid based work study program. The goal
of the program was to integrate First in Family students into the University Community and help
diminish any barriers they may have felt being the first in their family to attend post-secondary
institutions. The program has been very successful and in 2013-2014 we were able to employ 31
students on a part time basis during the Fall/Winter term for a total expenditure of $63,983.15.
Unfortunately, the program was renewed for late in 2013-2014 and a summer 2013 program was
not able to be supported. The International Work Experience Program was able to support 26
students during the academic year with earnings at $20,779 and 7 students with $11,539 during
the summer of 2013.
Payroll
As noted above, Payroll had a turbulent year due to sick leaves and personnel changes.Existing
staff filled in and managed Payroll processes at various times during the year to ensure minimal
impacts were noticed by most employees. In 2013 the payroll office processed payroll for 1049
employees throughout the fiscal year broken out into 229 full-time, 800 part-time and 20 early
retirees/LTD claimants. This represented an increase of 98 employees or 10.1% over the
previous year. The total salary and benefit costs administered through Payroll were $32.4.
Reports
The normal required internal and external reports were completed, including CAUBO,
COFO-UO, UCASS, SSHRC research reports, charity returns for the College, NEWCO and the
Foundation, GST reports for the College and Foundation, annual financial statements for the
College and Foundation, a 5-year forecast and investment reports. Monthly reports were made
available to Budget Unit Heads on-line through the new system. A financial summary was
provided quarterly to the Finance and Investment Committee.
Retirement Plans
The quarterly Pension Committee meetings were chaired by the Chief Financial Officer at which
investment policy, legislation and related issues were discussed.
The portfolio return for 2013 was a positive 13.4%, prior to investment counsel fees of 0.58%.
The Plan held $43.5M in assets at April 30th, 2014. The plan has 100 active members and is
providing direct benefits to 10 retired members. There are two deferred pensioners who have
vested pensions to be paid.
The December 31, 2013 valuation showed a decreased funding deficit under both going- concern
($3.5M, $6.0M in 2013) and wind-up valuations ($1.4M, $10.1M 2013). The special funding
required as a result of the smaller deficits will be approximately $34,000 per month starting in
January 2015 ($107,300 in 2014).
For members of the Group RRSP an annual session was also held to outline investment strategies
and general logistics. The total amount of RRSP funds is $9.8M representing the savings of 140
employees.
Departmental Planning
Complement:
The total position complement of the Finance Department remained steady at 15 in 2014. Several
vacancies occurred at various times in the year. As a result, there are no requests expected over
the next couple of fiscal years for additions to compliment in Finance.
We will continue to monitor the increases in faculty research grants over the next couple of years
to determine if the level of administrative assistance associated with this area continues to grow.
If recent growth rates continue there will be need for an additional person associated with A/P to
assist with faculty grant administration.
The new FIS should lead to increased efficiencies in some areas once everyone is fully
comfortable with the system.
Major Projects:
The Finance Department continues to work towards full utilization of the Financial Information
System. Currently all modules have been implemented. Adjustments to the system are expected
over the course of the next fiscal year to fully utilize the capabilities of the system once
employees have been hired or returned to applicable positions.
The negotiations with the DOL relating to the possible acquisition of SPS will be significant task
requiring the time and effort of the CFO. Once an agreement is reached, significant work related
to financing and request for proposals related to architects and project managers will be required.
The current contract with Aramark Food Services will expire in the spring of 2015. An RFP for
food services will be required. The organization and logistics will require the time and efforts of
the Purchaser and CFO throughout the process.
Vice Principal, Finance and Support Services:
As a result of the most recent administrative restructuring, the CFO position will morph into the
Vice Principal, Finance and Support Services. The new structures are just beginning to take
shape and much work and discussion is still required to determine the new work flow related to
the new reporting structure. Additional training related to the new areas will be sought out as
applicable.
In keeping with the culture of life-long learning and the requirement for Chartered Professional
Accountants to maintain a high level of professional education the CFO will be seeking out
opportunities to attend job-related conferences and seminars. In addition, opportunities to
participate in Provincial (ICAO, COFO) and National associations (CAUBO, FBS) will be
investigated with the goal of raising the profile of King’s University College and gaining access
and influence over policy and procedure development.